The latest news in the world of basketball is now shifted from LeBron James to Michael Jordan. The AIR movie’s first trailer dropped and fans are salivating at the prospect of watching this story unfold. But there is also one burning question, Who Plays Michael Jordan in AIR?
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Before we dive in, it is important to clarify that the story is less about Michael Jordan and more about the pursuit of excellence. Remember that back in the 1980s, Nike was a small brand. So small that it barely was even recognizable by that name. It was called Blue Ribbon Sports.
1984 in particular was a bad year. They needed something groundbreaking and this story chronicles how Sonny Vaccaro sought to find Michael Jordan.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon star as Nike executives in ‘Air,’ the story behind the landmark deal between Micheal Jordan and the company’s basketball division.https://t.co/M5fqELGX3r
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 10, 2023
Who Plays Michael Jordan in AIR? The hottest question right now
So, before we answer it is important to know that the story itself has almost no Michael Jordan. This means that there is no character of Michael Jordan, only an idea.
AIR is a movie centered around Phil Knight and Sonny Vaccaro. Matt Damon plays the role of Vaccaro and Ben Affleck is taking on Phil Knight’s visage.
Vaccaro, who was a wild card of a marketing executive was the one who wanted to bet his future on MJ.
Phil Knight had simply decided to take a chance on Vaccaro. And throughout the trailer, you can see the story of how Sonny’s main job was to first convince MJ’s parents, Deloris and James Jordan to give access to Micheal.
Viola Davis, who recently completed the feat of winning the EGOT, plays Deloris Jordan. A role we think suits her fantastically. As for Michael Jordan, the cast is nameless.
Why AIR is more about the shoe than the Man?
Well for starters, the story centers around the executives who made the shoe. AIR glorifies the men behind the shoe. It aims to tell the story of the shoe and how it came to be.
Twitter was particularly unhappy about the move to not include Michael Jordan. Even as a side character. The fact that it glorified the white executives instead of the black athlete who actually helped them reach the levels of stardom is the gripe.
But the story of the shoe should also be told and the producers might have felt that Michael’s name and status might have taken precedent over the product that earns Nike billions in revenue each year.
