​'Space Jam' Predicted the NBA Suspending the Season Due to Coronavirus

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Mar 12, 2020

The NBA announced last night (March 11) that the season would be suspended indefinitely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after the initial shock wore off, basketball fans realized they had seen this scenario play out before — in Space Jam.
 
Twitter is abuzz pointing out the similarities between the 1996 Looney Tunes and Michael Jordan-starring film and the real-life measures being taken.
 
In the film, the NBA season is suspended after the evil alien Monstars steal the basketball-playing prowess of Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson and Muggsy Bogues.
 
There's even a scene that shows the Los Angeles Lakers refusing to enter locker rooms because "after what happened to Barkley and Ewing, there's gotta be germs in there or something."
 
When Coach Del Harris points out that the other players lost their talents 3,000 miles away in New York, Anthony Miller responds, "Bacteria like that can travel faster than the speed of light."
 
His teammate Vlade Divac then adds, "Yeah, it could be Invasion of Bodysnatchers."
 
Harris exasperatedly tells them to get dressed in the hall, and the players proceed to put on gas masks.
 
When nothing the affected players try gives them their talent back, the commissioner suspends the NBA season. In a press conference, he says, "Until we can guarantee the health and safety of our NBA players, there will be no more basketball this season."
 
Flash forward to 2020 and the NBA has been suspended because Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
 
As such, all teams that have played the Jazz in the last 10 days have been told to self-quarantine — including the reigning NBA champs the Toronto Raptors.
 
At least now they'll all have time to re-watch Space Jam — and in the movie there was a happy ending.
 
As previously reported, a sequel to Space Jam starring Lebron James is slated for release next year. It's unclear if the entire production team is now reworking the plot.
 
While we wait to see how the real-life NBA suspension and sequel play out, see Twitter's reaction to the similarities between Space Jam and real life below.
 

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