Knicks Legend Tells His Side of Space Jam
It's fair to assume that a certain legion of New York Knicks fans first saw the talents of Patrick Ewing share the floor with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck rather than, say, Charles Oakley and John Starks.
Modern basketball fans, particularly those of the millennial variety, have turned the 1996 sports comedy "Space Jam" into a cult classic. The film stars Michael Jordan as himself, as the NBA legend leads the animated characters from the Looney Tunes franchise into a basketball battle against an alien gang that steals the talents of rival Association stars, including Ewing.
Ewing's involvement in the movie was a prime topic when he was a guest on the "Roommates Show" podcast hosted by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, two of many who grew up enjoying the film.
"Michael and I, we had the same agent, David Falk. So when they talked about doing the movie and of course, they brought me in, and I thought it was a great opportunity," Ewing recalled. "It's funny today that more people know me from that movie than me being a player ... I'll be coming from the airport (and hear) 'Aren't you the guy that was in Space Jam?' ... I loved it and I loved doing it. I still watch it with my younger kids and my grandkids even today."
Ewing is one of five NBA stars who loses their talents to the aliens, later known as the Monstars, along with Charles Barkley, Muggsy Bouges, Shawn Bradley, and future Knicks (then-Charlotte Hornet) Larry Johnson. Ewing recalled filming his scenes in Los Angeles for a month, including a sequence where both he and Barkley are victimized by the Monstars. Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena stands in for Madison Square Garden, as the sequence occurs during a game between Ewing's Knicks and Barkley's Phoenix Suns.
As previously depicted in ESPN's Jordan-centered documentary "The Last Dance," Ewing recalled intense pick-up games both on and off the set between takes. Ewing also learned that Jordan was hardly acting when engaged in his no-nonsense, easily verified, and vindicated trash talk during his storied tenure.
"It was a lot of fun. We would play pick-up ball," Ewing recalled. "After the shoot was over, we'd go out to dinner, we'd talk trash, talk about everybody's career. Of course Michael, you know, he is one of the biggest trash talkers that you ever had the opportunity to meet or play against. He was always reminding Charles and myself that we hadn't won anything yet. But I enjoyed it. It was a great experience."
Though met with a mixed critical reception, "Space Jam" remains a mainstay in millennial movie marathons, praised for capturing the height of Jordan's popularity. A standalone sequel starring LeBron James entitled "Space Jam: A New Legacy" was released in 2021 but did not leave a similar impact.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks