Warning: SPOILERS for Space Jam: A New Legacy.

Michael Jordan doesn't appear in Space Jam: A New Legacy, although there was an idea for a potential cameo in a post-credits scene that didn't come to pass. However, Space Jam: A New Legacy ingeniously manages to get "Michael Jordan" to show up in the film in a completely unexpected and hilarious way. Still, the live-action/animated mashup that stars LeBron James teaming up with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang has no Air Jordan sighting, which may disappoint longtime fans.

Space Jam starring Michael Jordan was released in November 1996 and was a box office smash, earning $250 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing basketball movie of all time. Space Jam was the first feature film produced by Warner Bros. Features Animation and it also brought Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the Looney Tunes characters back to pop culture prominence. And though critics weren't kind to Space Jam, it won over its targeted audience - kids - and remains beloved by the generation that grew up with it. This includes LeBron James, who cited Space Jam as one of his favorite films from childhood. James and his production company, SpringHill Entertainment, signed on for the long-awaited sequel to Space Jam after the NBA superstar got positive reviews for his appearance in Trainwreck. Space Jam 2 then became a vehicle to spotlight King James and tell a new story involving LeBron learning to be a better father to his young son.

Related: Space Jam 2: Michael Jordan Cameo Twist Explained

It's not clear if Michael Jordan was ever approached to cameo in Space Jam: A New Legacy, but several factors ensured that an MJ appearance wasn't meant to be. 25 years after the original hit theaters, Michael Jordan is now the owner of the Charlotte Hornets and is apparently content that his Space Jam has stood the test of time. Space Jam: A New Legacy, in turn, is completely about LeBron James and is a different movie about family and fatherhood, while still incorporating the Looney Tunes characters, who are now animated with CGI, among a multitude of other Warner Bros. intellectual properties. Jordan already turned down Space Jam 2 in the 1990s, which would have re-teamed Michael with Bugs and his cartoon pals to take on new alien villains called the Berserk-Os. After Jordan said no, the sequel was shelved until 2014 when talks commenced for Space Jam 2 to center on LeBron James.

Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny talking in Space Jam

While the basketball legend remained on the sidelines, the "Michael Jordan" cameo in Space Jam: A New Legacy turned out to be brilliant: During halftime after LeBron and the Tunes have been crushed by the Goon Squad, Sylvester the Cat announces that he found Michael Jordan in the audience. But it turned out to be Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan! Space Jam 2's director Malcolm D. Lee told EW that Michael B. Jordan was hanging on the set when the suggestion was made to bring him in as "Michael Jordan". The result is arguably the single best joke in the entire movie, and even Bug's line that Sylvester found "Michael B. Jordan" and not "Michael A. Jordan" is clever since "Air" Jordan is Michael's nickname.

However, Lee also revealed an idea he had for Michael Jordan to cameo in a post-credits scene where Bugs Bunny would show his old pal Space Jam: A New Legacy and ask, "What do you think Doc?" MJ would reply, "I took that very personal", which is his famous line from The Last Dance, 2020's hit documentary about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Lee said he held out hope that the cameo could happen but he knew ahead of time that the likelihood was "very remote". Ultimately, it's appropriate that Space Jam stands apart as Michael Jordan's movie while Space Jam: A New Legacy completely belongs to LeBron James, which befits the subtitle of King James' movie.

Next: Space Jam: A New Legacy Ending Explained