In the early 1990s, three of the biggest names in sports joined forces, not on the field, court, or ice, but on television screens across North America.
Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Bo Jackson weren’t just dominating their respective sports; they were also the stars of a Saturday morning cartoon. That’s right, in 1991, NBC premiered ProStars, a short-lived animated series that turned these sports icons into animated crime-fighting superheroes.
It was an ambitious idea. Combining the star power of “The Great One,” the greatest basketball player of all time, and a multi-sport phenomenon in Bo Jackson, the show aimed to teach life lessons while saving the day.
The Unforgettable Attempt to Turn Sports Legends Into Saturday Morning Superheroes
The concept was simple: take athletic greatness, add some futuristic sports gear, throw in a few villains, and send the trio on missions to help kids in need. Each episode opened with live-action clips of Gretzky, Jordan, and Jackson, though the segments mostly consisted of the athletes answering questions from kids and delivering corny lines with a straight face.
The cartoon itself followed the trio as they operated out of wayneom’s Gym,” a base run by a character named Mom, portrayed as a very problematic and outdated stereotype. From this quirky headquarters, the animated versions of the athletes zoomed off to battle evildoers using customized sports-themed gadgets: Gretzky had boomerang hockey pucks, Jordan wielded basketball-based tech, and Bo, true to form, just did everything else.
Did you know Michael Jordan starred as a CARTOON SUPERHERO in the 90s series ProStars? 🦸♂️ He teamed up with Bo Jackson and Wayne Gretzky to fight villains and save the day! 🤯
Flashback to the early 1990s when Michael Jordan teamed up with Bo Jackson and Wayne Gretzky in the… pic.twitter.com/rLBWBjNq3X
— Why It Is Trending (@trendingblog247) March 8, 2025
Despite the star power, ProStars only lasted one season. Viewers and critics alike were underwhelmed by the animation, the writing, and a bit of forced humor. Perhaps the biggest letdown was that none of the real athletes voiced their animated characters.
Instead, voice actors were hired to mimic their personalities, resulting in performances that felt disconnected and exaggerated. Even the theme song tried to capitalize on their catchphrases, ending with the line, “ProStars, it’s all about helping kids!”
Yet, even with all its flaws, ProStars is still remembered, not for its success, but for the sheer boldness of its premise. It was a time capsule of 90s pop culture, when athletes were not only heroes on the field but were imagined as superheroes in the world of children’s television.
Looking back, ProStars may not have scored with viewers, but it’s still a quirky reminder of how big Gretzky, Jordan, and Jackson were in their prime, big enough to be cast as cartoon heroes trying to save the world one slapshot, slam dunk, or home run at a time.