As per tradition, the Golden Raspberry Awards were held the day before the Academy Awards unfold. The anti-Oscars ceremony, which hands out gongs for the most notoriously bad films and performances from the past year, saw the former basketball star receive the “honor” of winning the Worst Actor gong for his turn in Space Jam: A New Legacy.
James, who played a fictionalized version of himself in the live-action/animation hybrid opposite the likes of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, beat out the likes of Scott Eastwood (Dangerous), Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen), and Mark Wahlberg (Infinite) to earn his place in the Razzie hall of fame. His win wasn’t the only award for Space Jam 2 either, as it also snatched the statuette for Worst Screen Couple (LeBron James & Any Warner Cartoon) and Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel.
It still wasn’t the biggest winner — or loser — of the night, however, as Netflix’s Diana: The Musical managed to come out on top with five trophies to its name, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress, and Worst Director. Other notable recipients include Jared Leto bagging Worst Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Paolo Gucci in House of Gucci and Bruce Willis getting a whole category to himself — Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie. If you’re interested, his performance in sci-fi flick Cosmic Sin got the gong.
While not exactly a critical darling, 1996’s Space Jam with Michael Jordan is fondly remembered by audiences. Despite throwing in cameos from reams of characters from Warners’ back catalogue, however, A New Legacy failed to recapture the magic and earned hostility from fans and critics alike. By the looks of things, don’t expect it to lead to a flourishing acting career for LeBron.
