BEAVERTON, Ore. — The Amazon Studios film "Air" was released in select theaters on Wednesday. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon joined forces in co-producing and starring alongside a heavy-hitting supporting cast in the film based on the historic Nike deal between Michael Jordan and Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro.
The film follows the story on how Nike, based in Beaverton, signed a young Jordan to a signature shoe deal in 1984. The landmark deal changed the trajectory of Nike, which was struggling at the time with a 29% decline in earnings, the first drop in 10 years, according to an article published in The New York Times in 1995.
Nike set a new standard for athlete endorsements, signing Jordan — who had yet to play an NBA game — to a $2.5 million, five-year deal.
Affleck told Variety that there is no actor portraying Jordan in the film, but the actual basketball player does make an appearance in archival footage.
Nike co-founder Phil Knight is portrayed by Affleck, who is also directing the film. Damon portrays sneaker salesman-turned-Nike executive Vaccaro.
KGW had a chance to connect with Vaccaro.
"I never would've known who Michael Jordan was. I didn't give a damn about Michael Jordan. I was there rooting for Patrick Ewing and John Thompson — who happened to be one of my best friends at the time...I didn't care about North Carolina. I left remembering this kid took a shot that beat Georgetown, it was in my subconscious for two years," said Vaccaro.
At the time Nike was ready to sign multiple basketball players to shoe deals but instead Vaccaro strongly advocated for Nike to utilize their entire budget on one player, Michael Jordan.
"I said these words 'give it to the kid' and it changed my life and Nike's life— no matter how it's printed," stated Vaccaro.
The brand generated $4.7 billion in revenue in 2021. The Jumpman logo is iconic, and Nike has become one of the world’s most powerful and recognizable companies. Jordan went on to win six NBA championships, became a billionaire, and now owns the Charlotte Hornets.
Vaccaro went to great lengths to not only convince Nike, but also convince a major team player that played a crucial buzzer beating role in the existence of the Jordan Brand — Jordan's mother, Deloris Jordan.
After somewhat convincing not only Michael Jordan but the entire Jordan family, Vaccaro brought the entire family, in an infamous trip, to visit the Nike headquarters in Beaverton. The visit marked the first time Jordan met Phil Knight.
Vaccaro recounts a conversation with Jordan.
"He said, 'Mr. Vaccaro I've never heard of Nike,' he thought it was nickey, 'I love Adidas.' We talked all about Adidas for an hour and a half," said Vaccaro.
When asked about his reaction regarding the film and Hollywood actor Matt Damon portraying him this was Vaccaro's reaction: "If I had a hundred billion dollars, I couldn't have framed a movie better to have someone like Matt play me at this point in my life back in '84. I couldn't do it."
The cast also includes Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling and Chris Tucker as Howard White. Viola Davis plays Deloris Jordan, Michael Jordan's mother.
As of Wednesday, the movie's opening night, "Air" was garnering high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 96% rating from reviewers and a 98% audience rating.
