One of the biggest underrated aspects of the film are the myriad of NBA player cameos throughout the movie. I can't imagine in this day and age, seeing so many current NBA players make a cameo in a film. I mean, Ray Allen pulled it off and so did D-Miles, but to get Ewing, Barkley, Bradley, Bogues and LJ (not to mention a sneaky few second cameo from the one and only Vlady-Daddy)? In the words of Martin Lawrence's character Marcus Barnett from Bad Boys, "Shit just got real."
Besides the cameos, which put this kid-classic over the top, Space Jam also delivers by producing a semi-real life plot. Okay, I'm not talking about the aliens but follow with me.
The entire basketball to baseball back to basketball plot? That really happened. The ability of this film to play off the real life career change of Air Jordan right after his dad passed away is just another reason it is so special. Apparently, His Airness was not shy about using the theme of his failed baseball career to inspire a movie.
Anyways, the whole career change thing got me thinking. What if other professional athletes decided to switch sports? Now I'm not talking Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson situations where they played both sports growing up and eventually reached the highest level for both at some point in their professional career, I'm more interested in athletes who excel in one sport and suddenly switch to a sport they have never played in their life before. Just for fun, I wanted to offer some ideas of athletes who could dominate a second field of play. Let's begin:
Lebron James, Wide Receiver: What if the most athletic player in the NBA played the sport where pure athleticism is most rewarded? Imagine King James in the open field!
Tony Parker/Steve Nash, Forward (soccer): Small, crafty and extremely gifted playmakers, these two could really excel on the pitch.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., Center-fielder: The quickest hands in professional sports might come in handy when trying to make contact on a Justin Verlander fastball.
Shaun White, Figure skating: The dude feels more comfortable in the air than on the ground.
Natalie Gulbis, Beach volleyball: Fairly easy on the eyes.
Michael Phelps, Rowing: Because swimmers are not good at any real sports.
