Nike Unveils Space Jam 2 Inspired NBA All-Star Game Sneakers for LeBron James

NBA All-Star fever is here just a few weeks before the big event gets set to roll in Chicago and Nike has good news for Space Jam fans. With Space Jam 2 hitting theaters this Summer, the company is lacing up their biggest star with some kicks referencing the animated feature. LeBron James is still the biggest basketball star on the planet and the swoosh will have him repping both the Western Conference and the Monsters on the court. The shoes are navy blue like the Monstars uniforms with some purple and gold detailing. (Can’t forget about all those Los Angeles Lakers fans out there.) On the tongue, the homage becomes even more literal as the jersey number of the biggest Monstar is front and center. Above that, the player’s head is silhouetted and the logo plays with all the colors of the aliens who wanted to help take over the Earth way back in the 1990s. Take a look for yourself down below.

Fans of the original movie have been nervous about the final product as this sequel has been rumored forever and had a couple shakeups on the way to release. But, like it or not, fans are going to get another taste of the whimsical NBA basketball and Looney Tunes mashup. People got a taste of what the new uniforms for the movie will look like. Fans on social media seem split between loving that the designers didn’t toy with the look too much, and of course the omnipresent bickering about who was better: Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Still there’s a lot to like so far, in respects to merchandise and product, Space Jam is already looking like it’s got some of the feel from the original down pat.

This project has been a labor to get off the ground and James has been vocal about how awesome the prospect of starring in a sequel to a movie his hero made has been. “The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” James explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s so much bigger. I’d just love for kids to understand how empowered they can feel and how empowered they can be if they don’t just give up on their dreams.”

LeBron James is playing our protagonist this time around and will be joined by Avengers: Endgame‘s Don Cheadle, Star Trek: Discovery‘s Sonequa Martin-Green, in addition to NBA and WNBA stars Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), Chris Paul (Oklahoma City), Damian Lillard (Portland Trailblazers), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Chiney Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), and Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks).

Space Jam 2 is slated to debut on July 16, 2021.