Basketball and coding share more than you think. They both require creativity, curiosity, and the ability to look at the big picture while strategizing your next move. Space Jam: A New Legacy is the perfect inspiration to learn computer and data science, and we've teamed up to create unique learning paths for data science and machine learning.
The new learning path, Use machine learning to coach Looney Tunes basketball players, inspired by SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY, is inspired by real basketball players and the stats that guide the game of basketball.
In the first module of this learning path, you will learn how to use machine learning to impute missing data and discover bimodality in data separating human basketball players from Tune Squad players to create a complete dataset of player statistics, including their Player Efficiency Rating.
The second module is where you get the opportunity to take your data into the game. You will use machine learning to create a realistic simulated dataset of player stats throughout one game. Using this dataset, you will learn how to create and deploy a basic web app to support a coach's decision making on which players to give a water break to, and which to put in the game.
With the power of Visual Studio Code, Azure, and GitHub, you will level up your coding skills while solving real-world challenges, with a little extra pizzazz from your favorite Tune Squad players. And, if you’re someone who also likes to watch walkthroughs of code, Dr. G is launching a short series of video tutorials guiding you through the learning path.
Welcome to the Jam! Basketball champion and global icon LeBron James goes on an epic adventure alongside timeless Tune Bugs Bunny in the animated/live-action event “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” from director Malcolm D. Lee and an innovative filmmaking team including Ryan Coogler and Maverick Carter. This transformational journey is a manic mashup of two worlds that reveals just how far some parents will go to connect with their kids. When LeBron and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safely by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny, and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before. It’s Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of his life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself. The ready-for-action Tunes destroy convention, supercharge their unique talents and surprise even “King” James by playing the game their own way.
We’re excited to partner with this film because learning to code doesn’t have to be a series of the same sample project, together we can explore new tech skills paired with our love for basketball with an added flare of fun Looney Tunes characters. If you’re interested in other learning opportunities for younger students and educators, check out our post on the Microsoft Education Blog. Be sure to check out the new learning path today and don’t forget to catch the film, coming 2021!