- The Washington Times - Thursday, June 20, 2019

Perhaps the most underrated factor of the New Orleans Pelicans trading Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers? It’s sent him much closer to the movie studios of Hollywood.

Mere days after that trade gave LeBron James a new superstar teammate, multiple reports said Davis will be among several high-profile NBA and WNBA players to appear in “Space Jam 2,” James’ sequel to the Michael Jordan cartoon film “Space Jam.”

Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Diana Taurasi and Nneka Ogwumike are also reportedly tied to the film.

Shams Charania’s report confirmed the news that was first reported by the website LakeShowWorld.com, which also mentioned Chris Paul as a cast member.

“Space Jam” had Bugs Bunny and other “Looney Tunes” characters ask Jordan for help to win a high-stakes basketball game against a group of aliens that sucked the powers from the likes of Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Muggsy Bogues. It received mixed reviews but become a cult hit among sports fans of a certain age.

It’s unknown if “Space Jam 2” will follow a similar plot, but “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler helped James rewrite the script while it was stuck in development, and one of James’ entertainment companies announced a release date of July 16, 2021.

Two years is a long time for James and Davis to be seeing each other practically every day, from the practice court and NBA season to the movie set, but that means they have plenty of time to develop some chemistry on and off the court.

• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.

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