Has LeBron James turned into a merchandise czar in advance of the Space Jam sequel?

James showed off some fresh Tune Squad gear from his upcoming movie as he boarded the Los Angeles Lakers' flight back to Los Angeles. It's pretty sick:

LeBron James stars in the highly anticipated sequel, which is officially titled “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” The film will have a theatrical release on July 16 and will be available to HBO Max subscribers for a one-month period.

The Lakers are hoping their “Monstars” can return to help the team build some momentum down the stretch. Of course, “down the stretch” quite literally means the final week (or two) of the regular season.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported over the weekend LeBron James is expected to miss three more weeks with his high ankle sprain. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis will miss two more weeks as the Lakers continue to exhibit caution with respect to his Achilles.

Naturally, the Lakers want their top stars healthy ahead of the playoffs. But the supporting cast will face the tall task of maintaining seeding, though L.A. has a bit of breathing room in that regard.

The Lakers are currently the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, 2.5 games up on the sixth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers and 4.0 games ahead of the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks. They are also just a half-game back of the Denver Nuggets for the No. 4 seed. Los Angeles has traded wins and losses throughout the month, going 3-3 since April 4.

It remains to be seen how the Lakers will continue to fare without their stars. In the meantime, LeBron James' absence gives him added cause to promote his movie.