Space Jam: A New Legacy Ending Explained [SPOILER!]

SPOILER ALERT: the following article contains massive spoilers, including the ending. If you have not yet seen the movie, proceed at your own risk, or better, come back to this article later!

When LeBron James and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of professional basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before. It’s Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of his life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Space Jam: A New Legacy Plot Summary and Synopsis

Basketball champion and global icon LeBron James wishes for both of his sons, Darius and Dom, to follow in his footsteps, but Dom, a child prodigy in computer software, instead of dreams of becoming a video game developer.

LeBron’s wife, Kamiyah, advises him to respect Dom’s wish. While showing an interest in Dom’s game, Dom discovers a glitch in his character after performing a specific move which causes the character to be deleted, to his chagrin.

Later, LeBron is invited with his family to the Warner Bros. studio to discuss a movie deal, but LeBron dismisses the idea, while Dom shows an interest in the studio’s software, particularly its state-of-the-art A.I., Al-G Rhythm. Dom expresses an interest in a future with Warner Bros, leading to a blowup argument with his father at basketball camp when LeBron refuses to let him give up on the sport.

Al-G, who has secretly become self-aware and desires more recognition from the world, lures the two to the basement and traps them in virtual reality. Taking Dom as his prisoner, he orders LeBron to assemble a basketball team made entirely from fictional characters owned by Warner Bros to compete against his team in a day, telling him that he will only be released if he wins, and sends him through the virtual space where he lands in Tune World.

Meanwhile, Al-G talks to Dom and begins to turn him against his father by playing on his resentments and helping him develop and upgrade himself and his game, which he secretly intends to use against LeBron.

LeBron finds Tune World deserted save only for Bugs Bunny, who explains that Al-G persuaded the rest of the Looney Tunes to leave their world and explore other realities. Using a spaceship belonging to Marvin the Martian, LeBron and Bugs travel to different worlds based on Warner Bros properties such as DC Comics, Harry Potter, Casablanca, and Game of Thrones to locate and recruit the rest of the Looney Tunes, such as Daffy Duck, Lola Bunny, and Porky Pig, into the “Tune Squad.”

Over Bugs’ objections, LeBron insists on coaching his new players on the fundamentals of basketball. The Tune Squad meets with Al-G’s team, the Goon Squad, comprised of upgraded avatars of several active professional basketball players with superpowers and led by Dom.

To further the stakes, Al-G live-streams the game and abducts countless viewers, including LeBron’s family, into the virtual reality, and says that if the Tune Squad loses, the viewers will remain there for eternity and the Looney Tunes will be deleted permanently.

The Goon Squad easily dominates the first half of the game, using their powers to score extra points. During the break, Sylvester attempts to recruit former Tune Squad member Michael Jordan but accidentally locates Michael B. Jordan instead. LeBron realizes his mistake and allows Bugs to devise the strategy for the second half, using their cartoon physics to catch up with the Goon Squad.

During a respite, however, LeBron confronts Dom and tells him he no longer wants to stand in the way of his dream.

Al-G assumes control of the Goon Squad and uses his abilities to make them seemingly unbeatable. Dom suddenly discovers the only way to win the game is to use the move he previously showed LeBron, even though he will be deleted.

However, during the final seconds of the game, Bugs performs the move, sacrificing himself and enabling Dom to help LeBron score the final point, winning the game and posterizing Al-G, erasing him forever. The James family and the abducted citizens are returned to the real world, while in Tune World, Bugs bids farewell to his friends before he disappears.

In the real world, LeBron comes to see his family in a different light and supports Dom’s decision to become a video game designer.

Space Jam: A New Legacy Ending

After dropping him off at E3, he is approached by Bugs, who survived because being a fictional character, he can’t really “die”. He asks LeBron to put him up for a little while until he can find a way back to Tune World. LeBron agrees, but Bugs goes on to ask if he can invite the rest of the Looney Tunes over as well.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Title: Space Jam: A New Legacy
US Original Release: July 16, 2021
Starring: LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green, Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, Zendaya
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Written by: Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Keenan Coogler, Terence Nance, Jesse Gordon, Celeste Ballard
Synopsis: NBA superstar LeBron James teams up with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes for this long-awaited sequel.