LeBron James in MultiVersus, Shaquille O’Neal in Shaq Fu and Other NBA Stars Featuring in Unexpected Video Games

Jul 23, 2022 | 3:30 PM EDT

LeBron James in MultiVersus, Shaquille O’Neal in Shaq Fu and Other NBA Stars Featuring in Unexpected Video Games

Jul 23, 2022 | 3:30 PM EDT

NBA superstar LeBron James is one of the most famous athletes in the world. He is also one of the wealthiest athletes owing to his variety of endorsements. As per Forbes, James is the second most paid athlete in 2022, behind only soccer superstar Lionel Messi. And the former MVP doesn’t necessarily make his fortune just from his NBA salary itself. James has one of the most diverse collections of endorsements and investments.

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In the steps of NBA legend Michael Jordan, James starred in ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’. Even though the movie wasn’t a box-office hit, it cemented his image as an entertainer and not just a basketball player. Now, LeBron James has taken another step as an entertainer. This time in the gaming industry.

The ‘Chosen One’ will be available as a playing character for the upcoming ‘MultiVersus’ game by Warner Bros. Games. However, this isn’t the first time a basketball star will be a playable character in a fighting video game. Earlier, he was available as a playable character in Fortnite.

LeBron James is not the first one to make a leap as a playable character in an unexpected game

Even though NBA players becoming video game characters for games that don’t involve basketball is a rare instance, James is not the first one to do it. Los Angeles Lakers legend, Shaquille O’Neal, was also a video game character in a fighting game.

‘Shaq Fu’ is a 2D fighting game released in October 1994 with Shaq as the main fighting character. The game was published by Electronic Arts. Then a sequel, ‘Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn’, was released in 2018.

What do Lebron and Rick & Morty have in common? They're both joining #MultiVersus! Lebron swings in July 26th, and Rick & Morty arrive in Season 1. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/XHYAWPijhy
— MultiVersus (@multiversus) July 22, 2022

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Another NBA legend, Charles Barkley, also featured as a playable character for the game ‘Barkley Shut Up and Jam!’. It was developed and published in 1993. Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan was a playable character for ‘Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City’ game. The game was released in 1994.

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As per reports, the ‘MultiVersus’ game will be available in open beta from July 26th. In the game, James did not voice his character. It was done by John Bentley. The game features other Warner Bros. characters like Bugs Bunny, Batman, Arya Stark, Wonder Woman, and the Iron Giant. ‘MultiVersus’ will be free to play and available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

Written by

Bagavathi Eswaran

1,520 Articles

Bagavathi Eswaran is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports, having a strong passion for the sport since the age of ten. As a former college player, Bagavathi has been following the NBA for more than a decade and has found his calling in writing about the sport. He has used his expertise in covering the NBA, as well as other arenas of the sport, to write more than 1400 articles at ES. Bagavathi's pieces on the increasingly dominant presence of European basketball and those following the journey of women-ballers are particularly noteworthy. Along with being a full-time writer, he is also a part of a group of young coaches groomed as trainers by Junior NBA. Bagavathi has trained players from schools and colleges, as well as underprivileged students who can attend the camps for free.

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Edited by

Arunaditya Aima