'I'm really not supposed to be here': LeBron James told cast and crew of Space Jam 2 how much filming meant to him because his mother 'had absolutely nothing' when he was growing up in Ohio
- LeBron James opened up about how much filming the Space Jam sequel meant to him on set during summer 2019 when they wrapped up shooting for film
- 'James talked about how his mother 'had absolutely nothing' while raising him
- 'She was pregnant with me as a high school sophomore. So, I’m really not supposed to be here,' the Los Angeles Lakers superstar told the cast and crew
- The original Space Jam was released November 15, 1996, and took in more than $230million around the world, with more than $90million in the states
- It starred Michael Jordan as himself in a partially-animated film featuring Looney Tunes characters and NBA icons including Larry Bird and Alonzo Mourning
LeBron James told the Space Jam 2 cast and crew in 2019 that he 'wasn't supposed to be here' because his mother 'had absolutely nothing' while raising him in Ohio.
In audio obtained by TMZ, the NBA star told talked about how he grew up watching the original Space Jam film, which featured basketball legend Michael Jordan.
'I'm gonna be honest completely with you guys - when I found out about the project, I was like it's "Space Jam"! I was like absolutely, I gotta do it. There's no way I can turn down Space Jam,' James said on the last day of filming, adding that there were 'people in the movie that I idolize'.
James spoke about how much filming the new project, Space Jam: A New Legacy, which is scheduled to be released in July 2021, meant to him, especially because he was a kid whose mother 'had absolutely nothing'.
'I’m just a small kid from Akron, Ohio - a very small town outside of Cleveland,' he told the group.
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LeBron James (pictured during a game on Thursday) told the Space Jam 2 cast and crew in 2019 that he 'wasn't supposed to be here' because his mother 'had absolutely nothing' while raising him in Ohio
'From a single-parent household, I’m the only child, my mother had absolutely nothing. She was pregnant with me as a high school sophomore. So, I’m really not supposed to be here.'
'Growing up in the inner city, as an African-American kid, there’s no way you’re supposed to f**king make it out.
'And, the fact that I’m who I am as an African-American adult now with three kids of my own, and I made it out of the situations that I was in. This sh*t is like extra credit for me man,' James said.
James then thanked the entire cast and everyone involved in making the film, saying: 'Y'all say you appreciate me, but I’m sh*t without y'all.'
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar will be joined by a number of NBA peers in the second installment of the Space Jam series.
Among them are his Laker teammate Anthony Davis, veteran NBA star Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder, three-point wizard Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and breakout Portland Trailblazers star Damian Lillard.
Flashy: A new logo for the animated movie has been unveiled
WNBA athletes in the motion picture include Los Angeles Sparks players (and sisters) Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike, and the Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi.
Hollywood actors rounding out the cast of the film include Don Cheadle, Sonequa Martin-Green and Martin Klebba.
The original Space Jam was released November 15, 1996, and took in more than $230million around the world, with more than $90million in the states.
It starred Jordan as himself and featured actors Wayne Knight and Theresa Randle in a partially-animated motion picture featuring Looney Tunes characters and cameos from NBA icons including Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Charles Barkley.
The original Space Jam was released November 15, 1996, and took in more than $230million around the world, with more than $90million in the states
It starred Jordan as himself and featured actors Wayne Knight and Theresa Randle in a partially-animated motion picture featuring Looney Tunes characters and cameos from NBA icons including Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Charles Barkley
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