Ben Affleck Cites Deloris Jordan as Hero of “AIR” and Reason Why Michael Jordan is Absent From the Movie

Seldom do we see a movie that doesn’t focus on the titular character. In this case, we are talking about “AIR” a movie about Nike signing Michael Jordan to their company and the making of the legendary Air Jordan sneaker.

However, according to Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Chris Tucker, the eponymous hero is not even in the movie, instead, it is the unsung one, his mom, Deloris Jordan.

Yes, the story focuses on how the executives Sonny Vaccaro and Phil Knight came about discovering Michael Jordan and signing him. But before all that, they had to face trials and tribulations. And during all of that one of the most important characters was Deloris Jordan.

Deloris Jordan is the Star of AIR, not Michael Jordan, Ben Affleck, and the cast clarify

While on a segment for Kelly Clarkson’s show, Ben Affleck was joined by co-stars Matt Damon and Chris Tucker. They appeared on Clarkson’s show to discuss the movie and talk about why it is so influential.

“Without Deloris Jordan…none of that would’ve happened.” @BenAffleck, Matt Damon and @ChrisTuckerReal reveal why you never see Michael Jordan in #AIRmovie: https://t.co/4Ktoo4bh4k pic.twitter.com/inDIN0hq23

— The Kelly Clarkson Show (@KellyClarksonTV) April 3, 2023

Their reasoning for why the movie doesn’t feature MJ is simple, there are also other very important people behind the scenes who simply do not get the limelight they deserve.

And while the story is focused on Phil Knight and Sonny Vaccaro, Affleck likes to bring the focus back to Viola Davis’s character, Deloris Jordan.

Why was Deloris so crucial to the story?

Not only was Michael a “momma’s boy”, Deloris often made big decisions for her son. For a simple reason, she wanted to protect him. To that avail, she negotiated the deal for MJ.

The movie’s primary focus is the story of Nike approaching MJ. But also how Deloris was crucial in everything. It is a story of how a dreamer and an innovator wanted a protagonist for his shoe.

It is also about the mother’s involvement. And why she was the key to everything. To all the mothers, we salute you.