NBA star LeBron James was so impressed with producer and director Ryan Coogler’s work on “Black Panther” that he recruited Coogler to join him on the long-anticipated next “Space Jam” movie, ESPN reports.

“A source confirmed that Coogler will produce the ‘Space Jam’ project and will be joined by director Terence Nance, whose work includes ‘Random Acts of Flyness’ and ‘An Oversimplification of Her Beauty,'” the story reports.

“A source told ESPN that James was personally involved in recruiting Coogler,” ESPN adds “‘Space Jam’ will be Coogler’s first project since directing ‘Black Panther’ — the groundbreaking Marvel movie featuring a black superhero with a predominantly black cast that grossed $1.34 billion worldwide.”

The report also notes: “James and longtime business partner Maverick Carter have been in talks to make a ‘Space Jam’ film for more than five years, waiting for the right situation to come along, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

“While the film shares the name with the popular franchise that originally starred Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny in a 1996 box-office smash, a source familiar with the production told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that James’ vehicle will not be considered a sequel to the highest-grossing basketball film of all time.”

James’ SpringHill Entertainment, which inked a deal in 2015 with “Space Jam” owner Warner Bros. Entertainment, tweeted a photo today hinting at the new project, which you can see below …