LeBron James' acting career took a hit with Space Jam: A New Legacy, but the King is no stranger to comebacks, and LA is the place to be for revivals.

LeBron James was hoping to use Space Jam: A New Legacy to increase his power as an entertainment and business mogul, but with critics panning the film, a mixed Rotten Tomatoes reception, and box office figures dropping precipitously, King James' plans may have to change. After legendary stints with Cleveland, Miami, and Cleveland again, LeBron signed with the storied Los Angeles Lakers—lured also by the off-the-court allure of LA. As LeBron continues to invest in business opportunities—from his "I Promise" school to restaurant chains like Blaze Pizza—LA has provided him a chance to expand his acting portfolio. But chasing Michael Jordan's silver screen legacy may have backfired.

Space Jam helped elevate Michael Jordan to the ubiquitous status he occupies today. Ever since LeBron James was anointed "The Chosen One" upon entering the league, his greatness has been measured against Jordan's. Naturally, with plans for a Space Jam sequel in flux since 1996, fans and executives alike began eyeing LeBron as the successor to Jordan's Looney legacy—another arena to compare the two icons of the sport. Comparing James' A New Legacy and Jordan's Space Jam outings was inevitable. After an enjoyable performance in the Amy Schumer vehicle Trainwreck (2015), LeBron looked poised to make good on those hopes.

Unfortunately for LeBron, plenty went wrong with Space Jam: A New Legacy. From the poor script to the lack of cultural weight, the sequel didn't offer James much help from the start, and his inexperienced acting chops were on full display. Fans have criticized Jordan's Space Jam performance for years, calling his acting wooden, but LeBron fares much worse in this tired and commercialized retread whose only reason for being is to check a box in the LeBron vs. Jordan debate. While moviegoers were once excited at the mention of LeBron on the big screen—particularly after his genuinely comedic turn in Trainwreck—now that flame has been somewhat diminished, if not extinguished entirely.

This is, perhaps, to be expected. After all, Jordan didn't appear in a Space Jam sequel, sending talks into the stasis from which LeBron revived them in the first place. Few athletes have transitioned from being stars of their respective sport to becoming stars of Hollywood. Many more have moved to sports entertainment television than have jumped into successful narrative film careers. Yes, Kobe Bryant won an Oscar, but that had as much to do with the Mamba's creative contributions as it did legendary animation veteran Glen Keane's work on Dear Basketball. LeBron may yet have an onscreen career ahead of him once he retires from his playing days, but perhaps he'd be better suited to broadcast media or a producing (or executive producing) role than acting in movies.

But there's still plenty of time for LeBron to make a comeback from A New Legacy's bad reviews; he's come back from being down 3-1 in the Finals, and he's proven himself impossible to count out. And for the moment, he's undoubtedly focused on putting together another winning campaign as he seeks his fifth NBA Championship. Though Space Jam: A New Legacy failed to meet the highest expectations for LeBron's acting career, he can afford to take the hit. After all, he's been finishing through contact his entire career.

Next: Space Jam 2: Everything That Went Wrong With A New Legacy