The 2021 movie Space Jam: A New Legacy found an interesting way to deliver a shocking Michael Jordan cameo. Such a scene was promised back in March by one of the movie’s stars. During an interview, Al-G-Rhythm actor Don Cheadle confirmed that Michael Jordan would appear in the film, but also teased that it wouldn’t be what people expect it to be.
Given the success and popularity of the 1996 live-action/animation hybrid, there was a commonly-held assumption that Space Jam: A New Legacy would find ways to pay homage to Michael Jordan’s original basketball team-up with the Tunes. There was some question over how it would connect to the movie, especially since LeBron James has said in the past that Space Jam: A New Legacy isn’t really a sequel and is instead an all-new story. For this reason, it was unclear if Jordan saving Looney Tune land from being enslaved by Swackhammer would be acknowledged by his former teammates, or if the first movie was even in canon with the new installment.
Space Jam: A New Legacy does in fact make references to Jordan, but as for the cameo mentioned by Cheadle, it wasn’t the NBA legend who popped in during the movie. While in the locker room worrying about how they were going to win, Sylvester arrived and enthusiastically explained that he had found Michael Jordan among the audience watching the game. Following a dramatic entrance, Black Panther and Creed star Michael B. Jordan stepped out of the shadows and into view. At once, he was recognized by James. Apparently, Jordan was getting popcorn when spotted by Sylvester, who then brought him to meet the team, unaware that he wasn’t an actual NBA star. After their differences were explained, the Tunes chastised Sylvester for mistaking “Michael B. Jordan the actor” for “His Airness”.
Before leaving the scene, Michael B. Jordan told the Tunes, “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose,” which was an Easter egg to the NBC high school football drama, Friday Night Lights, in which Jordan played Vince Howard for two seasons. The phrase was a motivational idiom used by the coaches and team members on the show.
While the movie’s Jordan surprise came as a huge disappointment to both James and the Tunes, it amounted to a fun (and smart) twist for the story. It showed that Space Jam: A New Legacy didn’t necessarily need the other Michael Jordan, as it was still able to pay tribute to him regardless. The excitement expressed by the characters upon hearing about his impending arrival and what followed revealed that Jordan’s role in their first basketball game is canon with the new film. Earlier in the movie, both Bugs and Lola Bunny alluded to playing basketball before, but didn’t outright mention playing alongside Jordan. After seeing Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester noted that he made the mistake because he assumed the basketball player had “aged gracefully” over the last 25 years, which was when the first movie was released. This proves that even though they didn’t get any help from the retired NBA star, his efforts to help them all those years ago haven't been forgotten by the Tunes.