10 Facts About Space Jam and the Air Jordan 11 It Inspired

According to Box Office Mojo, with a lifetime gross of $90,418,342, Space Jam is the highest grossing basketball movie of all-time. Behind it? White Men Can't Jump with a gross of $76,253,806.

Almost 20 years later, you can still view and use the original Space Jam website. Considered advanced when it launched, the site features player bios, animation sketches, games for children, sound clips, and insight into the film's 6-times platinum soundtrack.

Following a successful run in theaters and merchandise raking in more than $1.2 billion, Warner Bros. put Space Jam 2 into motion in 1997. Artist Bob Camp was brought in to animate for the movie, which reportedly had actor Mel Brooks pegged as the main villain, Berserk-O. However, committed to his return to the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan had no interest in starring the movie, which Warner Bros. deemed a requirement. Earlier this year Hollywood Reporter wrote that LeBron James will be staring in a yet-to-be-filmed sequel.

You already know the 'Space Jam' 11 originally appeared in the movie, but did you know MJ's first PE featured concord Jumpman branding? The number '23' on the heel was also stitched instead of printed.

Fresh off his return from baseball, MJ led the Bulls against the upstart Orlando Magic in the 1995 Eastern Conferene Semifinals. In the series, Jordan debuted the Air Jordan 11, including the "Space Jam" colorway, before it officially became his game shoe the following season. Shaq and the Magic handed Jordan's Bulls their only playoff series defeat of the dynasty era.

When Michael Jordan returned to basketball, designers adjusted the "23" on the heel of his Air Jordan 11s to his new number 45. Of course, Jordan decided to switch back to his original number during the Eastern Conference Semifinals and the new feature was already outdated by the time he debuted the shoe.

When Jordan Brand retroed the "Space Jam" 11 in 2000, they sampled the shoe with "45" on the heel, but settled on "23" for final production. This December will see the shoe release with "45" for the first time.

One of the most anticipated sneaker releases of all-time, the 2000 "Space Jam" 11 Retro dropped on Wednesday, Dec, 13. Wednesday releases were commonplace for Jordan Brand at the time, but kids skipping school and mid-term exams to stand in line drew angry phone calls from parents, resulting in Air Jordan releases primarily taking place on Saturdays now.

No, your retros aren't fake. There was a mishap at the factory, and a fair amount of 2000 "Space Jams" come in a box that reads "AIR JORDNA 11." The box is slightly more rare than the box with the correct print.

While we’re accustomed to the script on the Air Jordan 11’s tongue reading "JUMPMAN JORDAN," the "Space Jam" colorway has featured two other phrases in the past. When sampled for a retro release in 2000, Jordan Brand flirted with the idea of adding "SPACE JAM" to the tongue, which you can see in the picture above. However, when the final product hit, it read "JUMPMAN JAM." In 2009, the colorway was re-released with the standard "JUMPMAN JORDAN," as will the upcoming edition. 

The 11 takes center stage, but it wasn't the only Air Jordan model worn in Space Jam. The movie starts off with MJ playing baseball in the cleated version of the Air Jordan 9, a shoe he'd later wear in basketball form to practice. Bugs Bunny spots the "Shadow" Air Jordan 10 in MJ's trophy room when he visits his home to retrieve his hoop gear, and Bill Murray wears the Air Jordan 2 in the actual Space Jam game.