What The Cast Of Space Jam Looks Like Today

1996's Space Jam was driven by a singular goal: Getting Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan on screen together, regardless of how little sense it made. Created in the shadow of a threadbare script, looming deadlines, and the challenge of mixing old and new animation technology, the result was a film that made $230 million and became an unlikely generational icon. But really, put aside your irony for a moment: Why shouldn't we love Space Jam? Sure, it might not be Citizen Kane, but it is a ludicrously fun time. In large part, this is due to its killer cast, which includes NBA stars, traditional actors, and voice acting heavyweights. What other movie gives you Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Danny DeVito and June Foray? Sure, the plot might not make the most sense, but you can't deny the sheer novelty of it all. Aliens. Cartoons. Basketball. What's not to love?

We're here to celebrate the talents that made Space Jam the bizarre millenial touchstone it has become. These are the stars of the '90s weirdest sports movie as they live today, from the superstar coaches to the cartoon-voicing powerhouses.

With his gap-toothed smile, intense style of play, and his popular "Grandmama" ad campaign, Johnson was a great choice for Space Jam. The Charlotte Hornets forward is one of the players whose basketball abilities are absorbed by the Monstars. This isn't Johnson's only cinematic effort: He also appeared as a player in the 1996 basketball movie Eddie, which stars Whoopi Goldberg as a fan-turned-coach of the New York Knicks. Prior to Space Jam, Johnson appeared in an episode of Family Matters, playing Steve Urkel's basketball partner, Grandmama. Talk about a successful ad campaign.

Johnson was at the peak of his career while filming Space Jam. He was traded to the New York Knicks shortly thereafter, and made the 1995 All-Star Game. The 1999 NBA playoffs saw Johnson pull off one of the most famous shots in Knicks history: A four-point-play that wound up winning the game. Injuries forced him to retire after just ten seasons, however – he now works for the Knicks in an advisory capacity.

Patrick Ewing is a bonafide legend: The man is an NBA Hall of Famer, 11-time All-Star, and former NBA Rookie of the Year. No wonder his skills are stolen in Space Jam – even in a crowd of greats, the man stands out.

Ewing has popped up in some strange places over the years. He played the Angel of Death in 1990's The Exorcist III alongside a truly unique collection of talent including Fabio, Larry King, and former Surgeron General of the United States C. Everett Koop.  Ewing has also enjoyed cameos in a wide variety of projects including Spin City, Herman's Head, Forget Paris, and Cosby. In one particularly memorable appearance, Marlon Wayans trash-talks  him in Senseless.  

Ewing worked as a well-regarded assistant in the NBA for 14 years after his career ended. In 2017, he took over as head coach of his alma mater, Georgetown University. Though he's a private man, Ewing is known widely for his honesty, work ethic, and trustworthiness.

The voice of Daffy Duck and Taz in Space Jam, Dee Bradley Baker has over 600 acting credits to his name, most of them voice work. Baker is particularly celebrated for being an animal sounds specialist: His most famous role is likely Perry the Platypus from Phineas And Ferb.  Other beastly roles include Lion in Steven Universe, Appa and Momo in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Waddles the Pig in Gravity Falls. The latter character even earned a Kids Choice Award nomination in 2014.

Baker's work isn't all grunts and squeals, however: Some of his most prominent roles involve normal human speech, including Numbuh 4 on Codename: Kids Next Door and Klaus on American Dad. A year spent studying philosophy in Germany helped him prepare for the latter role. Baker can currently be caught voicing Mandu in Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts, and is slated to reprise his role as Perry in 2020's Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe.

A character actor with years of experience, Space Jam sees Knight play Stan Podolak, Michael Jordan's publicist. Podolak follows Jordan when he's kidnapped by Bugs and Daffy and even tries to play in the climactic game ... before getting flattened like a pancake. 

Knight gained fame for small but memorable roles in Basic Instinct and Jurassic Park, but his most beloved role pre-Space Jam was likely Newman, the mailman who is Kramer's best friend and Jerry's nemesis on Seinfeld. "Hello, Newman" is a definitive 90s catchphrase for a reason: Knight is just that good at playing the oily role.

Knight's career has chugged along for years, in everything from animated movies to Broadway musicals. 1999 took Knight's career to new heights with Toy Story 2, in which he played the devious Al, toy collector extraordinaire. Similarly major cartoon roles have followed suit, including the Penguin in the Harley Quinn animated series and Baron Von Sheldgoose in Legend of the Three Caballeros. 2012 saw him take to the stage as Santa in a Broadway production of Elf: The Musical. That's right: Newman played a character as cuddly as Santa. Knight is not to be typecast.

Larry Bird helped reinvigorate the NBA after the league had fallen on hard times in the 1970s. The three-time MVP and NBA champion retired in 1992 – his last hurrah was playing on the Olympic "Dream Team" alongside Space Jam co-stars Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing. Space Jam wasn't actually Bird's first encounter with Looney Tunes characters playing basketball: 1995 saw him star, alongside Michael Jordan, in a McDonald's commercial involving the animated all-stars.

A year after Space Jam was released, Bird became head coach of the Indiana Pacers. His team battled Jordan's Bulls in the 1998 Eastern Conference finals, which they ultimately lost. In 2000, Bird took the Pacers all the way to the finals before losing to the Lakers, his old arch-rivals. Bird vowed to coach for only three years, and indeed kept that promise: He served the Pacers in various capacities, including president of basketball operations, until 2017, when he transitioned to an advisory role. Today, he's taking it easy — and serving as namesake for the Twitter logo, Larry T. Bird.

Considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan was at an interesting point in his career when he made Space Jam. As the film captures, he spent 1993 through 1995 off the court as part of a now infamously brief retirement. In reality, however, Jordan had returned to the NBA by the time Space Jam premiered.

After Jordan won his sixth NBA title in 1998, he retired once more. Jordan joined the Washington Wizards' front office in 1999, but couldn't resist the game, and returned for two seasons in 2001 at the age of 38. If it wasn't for his balky knees, he might have played forever — but, as Charles Barkley would say, "Father Time is undefeated."  

Jordan has been the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets since 2010. He was inducted into the NBA's Hall of Fame in 2009. 2020 saw his legend solidified further with the release of The Last Dance, a documentary miniseries co-produced by ESPN and Netflix that examines his last season with the Chicago Bulls. No wonder we all still want to be "like Mike."