5 Best LeBron James Acting Roles Before 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'

NBA star LeBron James has over the years added acting in movies and television to his busy schedule. Normally featured playing himself, James has also played other characters throughout his acting career including a highly praised role in a comedy.

James will play and voice himself in “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” the highly anticipated sequel to the original animated Looney Tunes/basketball mashup starring Michael Jordan.

“Space Jam: A New Legacy” will premiere July 16 on the big screen and for customers of the AT&T Inc T streaming platform HBO Max.

Here are the five best LeBron James acting roles prior to “Space Jam: A New Legacy.”

"Trainwreck": The romantic comedy starring Amy Schumer and Bill Hader grossed more than $100 million in North America.

In "Trainwreck," James plays himself as the best friend to the sports doctor character portrayed by Hader. James steals the show as comedic relief and many scenes including splitting the check for a meal despite being rich, discussing the differences between Miami and Cleveland, and seeing Hader’s character score on James are among the best parts of the movie.

Ian Crouch of The New Yorker called the James role “the greatest movie performance by an active professional basketball player.”

Related Link: Nike's New LeBron 19 Shoes To Debut In 'Space Jam 2'

"Smallfoot": Released by Warner Brothers Animation, “Smallfoot” was one of the limited movies that featured James playing someone other than himself on the big screen. James voices the yeti Gwangi, who is a member of the SES (smallfoot evidentiary society).

James’ character was a big part of the movie and part of the “good guys” in the movie proving that SES characters really exist.

"The Simpsons": In 2005, James voiced himself in his first credited acting role on IMDb: “Homer and Ned’s Hail Mary Pass” episode of “The Simpsons."

The episode featured James briefly as a student of Homer Simpson learning celebration dances. James was part of a Super Bowl Halftime Show in the episode and called it the best day of his life on the episode.

There wasn't a lot to his appearance, but it may have given James the acting itch to explore new roles.

"Entourage": A 2005 episode of the popular HBO series “Entourage” called “Give a Little Bit” features James as himself.

In the episode, the main character Vincent Chase, portrayed by Adrian Grenier, is pressured into giving money to charity by guest star Matt Damon, as well as by U2 singer Bono.

When Chase agrees to match whatever James donated to charity, he is surprised to find out the donation from the NBA star was $1 million.

"The LeBrons": An animated series based on Nike Inc NKE commercials, “The LeBrons” ran for three seasons and had 23 episodes. The series premiered on YouTube, a unit of Alphabet Inc GOOGGOOGL. “The LeBrons" featured many family-friendly themes and had James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio as the focal point.

Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros./IMDb.