Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has become one of the most highly acclaimed films in the modern day. The film follows Miles Morales (Spider-Man) when he is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.
The film has many references to real-life entities and it seems the creators are fans of the NBA and basketball in general. One prominent instance seen in the film is when we see Spider-Punk and Pavitr Prabhakar (The Indian Spider-Man) do a handshake routine that looks eerily similar to the one that LeBron James and Dwayne Wade used to perform.
Spider-Man wears signature Air Jordan 1’s in the movie
One of the film’s creators Philip Lord has confirmed the handshake’s reference to LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Writing “#Culture” on Twitter, Lord also linked a video of James and Wade performing the routine which was the inspiration for the one shown in the movie. However, it’s likely that only the most eagle-eyed of fans will be able to spot this easter egg as it’s quite a quick scene.
#Culture https://t.co/1rHGELo8xU
— Phil Lord (@philiplord) June 16, 2023
James and Wade were of course teammates on the Miami Heat, during the ‘Heatles’ era and became one of the most famous teammates in all of NBA history. Many of their plays and mannerisms are well known including this handshake and even their iconic alley-oop play.
They put LeBron and D Wade’s handshake in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dFaLfj5tYk
— Masked 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) June 18, 2023
This handshake is not the only NBA imagery shown in the Across the Spider-Verse movie. Miles Morales is seen wearing his signature Air Jordan 1 ‘New Chapter’ sneakers. The Air Jordan 1 and its line of shoes are attributed to Michael Jordan, the namesake of the brand. Morales has exclusively been wearing only Air Jordan 1 shoes throughout the Spider-Verse franchise.
Nike Is Working On Another Across The Spider-Verse-Inspired Air Jordan 1 Sneaker https://t.co/25ZeFZ3H24 #Nike #SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse #SpiderMan #MilesMorales #Sneakers #Jordan1 #JordanSneakers #NikeAirJordan #AirJordan
— Fortress of Solitude (@FortressZA) June 15, 2023
In fact, this isn’t the first Spider-Man-inspired Air Jordan 1. There was another one released after the debut of the first film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. That one looked a little more like a classic Air Jordan 1 Chicago but with additions to the upper half and tongue.
All in all, it’s great to see a franchise as big as the Spider-Man one paying tribute to the NBA and black culture in general.