CLEVELAND, Ohio -- While it’s too early to tell how the sudden resignation of Magic Johnson from the Lakers will affect LeBron James’ ability to recruit star players to Los Angeles, James is reportedly already having trouble convincing top names to join him on “Space Jam 2.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of them, according to ESPN. The network reported Tuesday the Milwaukee Bucks superstar turned down the chance to appear in the long awaited sequel because it would require him to miss two weeks of private workouts.
“I don’t like being Hollywood,” Antetokounmpo, commonly known as the “Greek Freak,” said in the article. “I don’t like all this extra drama. I am just going to try to be me.”
The news comes about a week after ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst said essentially the same thing during an appearance on “The Jump.”
“[LeBron] has been recruiting players to come and try to be with him on ‘Space Jam’ this summer and he hasn’t been able to close some of those deals,” said the former Plain Dealer reporter and author of the new book, “LeBron, Inc.”
“They see the writing on the wall,” former NBA star Tracy McGrady, sitting next to Windhorst, observed. “You put me in the movie now I got pressure for me to play with you.”
Three names to cross off the list, according to the Hollywood Reporter, are Stephen Curry, James Harden and Kevin Durant-- Curry and Harden due to their shoe contracts with Nike rivals Under Armour and adidas and Durant because he’s pursuing his own Hollywood projects.
So, does that mean forget about seeing Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving or Kawhi Leonard, all seemingly unlikely candidates to join the Lakers at this point, on the big screen alongside James? Or is a cast of Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and the Banana Boat crew of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul more likely?
The Hollywood Reporter, by the way, reports Warner Bros. is casting the film, not James.
In any case, the movie, which James is also producing, might have trouble topping the star power of the 1996 original, which had Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing and Muggsy Bogues.
Filming on “Space Jam 2” starts in June. The movie is due in theaters on July 16, 2021.