The film was on my most anticipated list for 2023. It didn’t disappoint.
On Wednesday, March 29th, I was invited to the Houston premiere of Air. Ben Affleck’s new movie is about Nike pursuing the greatest basketball player in the history of the NBA, Michael Jordan.
I was a kid in the 90s, and I remember playing pick-up basketball games. Many of my friends would be wearing Air Jordans, and I remember seeing shirts and hats with the Air Jordan logo. What I didn’t know then, but do now, is how all that came to be.
Nike was a smaller company in 1984 that branded itself on track shoes. That made sense because founder Phil Knight ran track. But Nike wanted to expand the brand by adding a line of basketball shoes. So Knight hired Sonny Vaccaro to grow the basketball division. Vaccaro, a larger-than-life character, did just that, and his first step was to seek talent for Nike’s line of basketball shoes.
Michael Jordan won an NCAA championship playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Jordan was a talent, but he was still (at that time) not the superstar we know today. The conventional route would be for Nike to pick an established NBA star and build a shoe around a brand name. The timing screamed for that option because Nike, at the time, was struggling on the sales front.
Courtesy The Sporting News
Nike had a tall hill to climb for another reason. It had to go up against the leading shoe competitor, Converse, the official shoe of the NBA. Proven names, including Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, were with Converse. Jordan, seen as an upcoming star, was leaning toward a third company, Adidas. He had worn Adidas shoes at the University of North Carolina.
While we all know how the story ended up–Jordan signed with Nike–the film does a terrific job of exploring the backstory of how it all came about. It’s a story about the people involved, their personalities, and their relationships.
Ben Affleck directed the film, and he also plays Phil Knight. Matt Damon, who plays Sonny Vaccaro, is a standout, as is Viola Davis, who plays Deloris Jordan, Michael’s mother. Her role is central to what happened in the mid-1980s, “the backbone of all of it,” her son has said. There’s a particularly great scene in the film where Vaccaro tells Mother Jordan that he believes her son is unique and that he’s going to achieve greatness. Another great scene takes place in the Nike Board Room. Vaccaro speaks emotionally to the Jordan family about why Nike needs him.
Who knew at the time that Vaccaro would be so spot on?
Let me add that the cast is solid, and a few supporting actors stand out. Chris Messina plays David Falk, Jordan’s agent with an ego, a man who would do anything for his client at the right price. The comic relief in a few scenes comes from Chris Tucker, who plays Nike executive Howard White. Jason Bateman, who plays Rob Strasser, the head of Marketing for Nike, is an excellent add-on to a great cast. Julius Tennon, who plays James Jordan, is a nice touch in a few scenes. The soundtrack to this movie is also excellent and includes many great tunes from the ’80s that I fondly remember from my youth.
Overall, this film is about greatness, an important aspect in today’s troubling times. But there is one thing you won’t find in this film–special effects. It’s a story about a time and person who has indelibly affected our culture. What else would you expect from someone known worldwide as “Michael.”
Do yourself a favor: see Air.
