Some icons are meant to fly.|Apr. 05, 2023|USA|112 Min.|R
Genre: Drama
Description: In 1984, Nike, Inc., based in Oregon, faced the potential shutdown of its basketball shoe division due to declining sales. To address this, Marketing VP Rob Strasser and CEO Phil Knight assign Nike’s basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro the task of finding a new spokesperson for their basketball shoes.
While reviewing the players selected in the 1984 NBA draft, Nike’s executives believe third pick Michael Jordan is unattainable, as he favors Adidas and his cost exceeds the division’s limited budget. However, after watching Jordan’s highlights alongside an Arthur Ashe commercial for HEAD rackets, Vaccaro becomes convinced Jordan is a generational talent. He believes Jordan and Nike could mutually benefit from a partnership.
Following a conversation with his friend George Raveling, who coached Jordan in the Olympics, Vaccaro travels to Wilmington, North Carolina, to meet with Jordan’s mother, Deloris. He persuades her that Nike would offer Jordan the attention and opportunities he wouldn’t receive from Adidas or Converse.
After receiving a disapproving call from Jordan’s agent, David Falk, for contacting the family directly, Vaccaro learns the Jordans have agreed to a meeting at Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Vaccaro and Strasser begin preparing their pitch, while requesting shoe designer Peter Moore to create a prototype. Moore names the design “Air Jordan” after Nike’s Air Sole technology. Meanwhile, Knight agrees to allocate the basketball division’s entire $250,000 budget to sign Jordan.
Cast director: Ben Affleck
Cast actor: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Damian Young, Matthew Maher
Original name: Air