"Space Jam" and Mayan mythology

The Popol Vuh is the creation story of the ancient Maya. One of the main plot threads involves hero twins who are summoned to the underworld to take on the gods in a high-stakes ball game. In a 2001 paper, linguist Michal Brody points out some surprising similarities between the Popol Vuh and … yes … the Michael Jordan/Bugs Bunny team-up, Space Jam. I'd not made that connection before, but Brody makes a pretty good case for the Mayan influence on Warner Brothers.