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

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.

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.

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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.

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.