When Does "Space Jam" (1996) Take Place?
"Space Jam" is a comedy mixed live-action/animated film written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod, and Joe Pytka that released November 15th, 1996. So when is "Space Jam" set?
It takes place in the year:
We know this because it depicts the short time in Michael Jordan’s sports career that he played professional baseball, which only lasted from April of 1994 AD to March of 1995 AD. So it must be between April of 1994 AD and March of 1995 AD.
1995 AD
We know this because it depicts the short time in Michael Jordan’s sports career that he played professional baseball, which only lasted from April of 1994 AD to March of 1995 AD. So it must be between April of 1994 AD and March of 1995 AD.
More specifically, early in the film a basketball game is depicted between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The two teams did play a game there on Sunday, January 29th, 1995 AD. The main action of the film only follows a period of days or weeks before and after this game. It is therefore early 1995 AD.
Additionally, before the opening credits, there is a prologue that takes place in 1973 AD and is labeled with a time setting title card reading, "Summer 1973".
After the opening credits, there is a second prologue depicting the moment Michael Jordan announced at a press conference that he was quitting basketball and turning to baseball. This happened on October 6th, 1993 AD in the real world.
The director and co-writer Joe Pytka said in an interview in 2016, "He played himself, and remember, a lot of the film is based on his life, so there were realistic references there."
This episode of Secret Base Nation's Rewinder examines its exact setting.
