That Halftime Cameo In ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Was Apparently ’25-Plus Years In The Making’

Space Jam: A New Legacy hit theaters and HBO Max on Friday, and while the reviews for the movie generally ranged from “it wasn’t great” to “there is no circumstance under which you should watch this,” there was one cameo during halftime of the big game between the Toon Squad and the Goon Squad that was pretty funny even if, quite frankly, we all probably should have seen coming.

[It goes without saying, but we’re about to dive into some spoilers]

With LeBron James and co. getting thrashed by Don Cheadle’s team of virtual Monstars antagonists, a much-needed halftime pick-me-up comes by way of Sylvester, who claims that he found Michael Jordan for a pep talk. The team loses it, and then, noted person also named “Michael Jordan” — Michael B. Jordan — walks in. What ensues is a bunch of groaning and Jordan deadpanning.

It was one of the best moments from the film, and in an interview with ET, producer Sev Ohanian explained that it was kind of obvious that it was going to happen.

“Look, if you’re gonna have a Michael Jordan in your movie, you’re gonna want Michael A. Jordan, right? The Jordan,” producer Sev Ohanian told ET. “But if you have the opportunity to have this incredible joke that’s 25-plus years in the making, how could you not? It was the perfect, looniest addition to the film, and honestly, I just can’t wait to be in the theatre and watch audiences experience it live.”

…

“It’s an amazing way to play homage to M.J. [and] make sure that audiences know how much he matters to us and to this film and these characters,” Ohanian explains. “At the same time, once everyone heard the joke, they loved the concept and it was all in.”

The guy who won six rings and starred in the first Space Jam is not in the movie, but hey, sometimes you gotta just take the layup.