The relationship between Nike and Michael Jordan is perhaps one of the biggest deals in sports history. The famous sports company became an emblem within basketball, and the world of sneakers, growing alongside the discipline's greatest exponent, took them both to the top.
This year, the story of that legendary relationship will hit the big screen at the hands of Ben Affleck, who directs it and is one of the protagonists, along with his best friend and project partner, Matt Damon. The actors have been friends since their roles in the classic Good Will Hunting and have since worked on several films together. Recently, both were part of Ridley Scott's The Last Duel and will soon be conquering theaters together again on Air.
Air is based on the incredible true story of the head of the Nike sports and sneaker brand, Sonny Vaccaro (Damon), and the founder of Nike, Phil Knight (Affleck). Both are trying to make the brand one of the most famous in history, so they try to get basketball legend Michael Jordan to endorse their products in the 1980s.
Is Michael Jordan Involved in Air?
Since the film's announcement, sports fans have wondered if the basketball player, who has already made several appearances in the world of cinema in productions such as Space Jam, will be in the film. And although he does not directly answer this question, Affleck spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the involvement of Michael Jordan in Air:
"I have to be very clear, this is not the authorized Michael Jordan story. He was not compensated in a way that would be appropriate if this were that. If you're going to do a Michael Jordan story, they should back the f*****g truck up. This was me saying, 'Mike, I'm not going to make the movie if you're not cool with something about it. I just won't do it. I want to know what's important to you.' He was very clear. He was the one who told me about [Nike executive] Howard White, who wasn't in the original script, who's played by Chris Tucker. And I said, 'Any anecdotes about your dad?' And without going into any more detail, he actually talked about his mom, who wasn't really in the script. That's when I understood what the movie was. Talking to him about his mom was incredibly moving, and I realized, 'Oh, this isn't about Nike.'"
Ben also talked about what the athlete means to him:
“He's a hero to me. And I know how important and meaningful a figure he is, in particular in the African American community. If you're going to f**k around with talking about Michael Jordan, do it respectfully. Nobody's asking you to do a hagiography, but get it f*****g right."
Air will release later this year on Apr. 5.