MOVIEDISTINCTION 08.23

The Nike Air Jordan Story

Story By Diana Addison Lyle

The acting chemistry between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon was apparent decades ago – but none more convincingly than on Prime’s 2023 drama, Air. Affleck’s fifth directorial film is brilliant, not only because of Affleck’s immense talent, but because of the compelling Affleck Damon chemistry.

It’s the landmark business story of Nike employee Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) whose vision and perseverance took Nike to another realm. The movie’s scenes in which Sonny and Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) go head-to-head in heated, insult-throwing arguments – are convincingly portrayed because of the two actors’ innate on-screen and off-screen chemistry.

Sonny Vaccaro doggedly pursued his goal of convincing Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Michael Jordan’s parents (Viola Davis is Deloris Jordan and her real-life husband, Julius Tennon, is James Jordan Sr.) that the proposed Nike Air Jordan shoe would go on to hold immense value for their son’s legacy. And for Nike, it would turn out to be a game changer in sport, in business and on the world stage.

The riveting scene took place in Nike’s boardroom with Michael Jordan and his parents watching cautiously as each Nike team member tried to convince the Jordan clan of the benefits of them agreeing to partner with Nike on the iconic shoe. But it was the unassuming and unpretentious speech made by Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) that clinched the deal. He measured the room astutely, and as he monitored the encroaching boredom on the facial expressions of Deloris and James Jordan, he cut off a film clip, and delivered these famous words at a pivotal moment:

“Forget about the shoes. Forget about the money. You’re going to make enough money. That’s not what matters. Money can buy you almost anything. But it can’t buy you immortality. That, you have to earn. I’m going to look you in the eyes, and I’m going to tell you the future.”

Looking directly at Michael, Sonny said with immense passion in his voice:

“You were cut from your high school basketball team. You willed your way to the NBA. You’re going to win championships. It’s an American story, and that’s why Americans are going to love it. People are going to build you up because when you are great and new, they love you. They’ll build you into something that doesn’t even exist. You are going to change the f….. world. But you know what? Once they’ve built you as high as they possibly can, they are going to tear you back down. It’s the most predictable pattern. We build you into something that doesn’t exist, and that means you have to try to be that thing – all day – every day. That’s how it works, and we do it again and again and again. Now I’m going to tell you the truth: You are going to be attacked, betrayed, exposed – and you’ll survive that. A lot of people can climb that mountain, but it’s on the way down that breaks them and that’s the moment when you are truly alone. And what will you do then? Can you summon the will to fight on through the pain and rise again? Who are you, Michael? That will be the defining question of your life. And I think that you already know the answer. And that’s why we are all here. A shoe is just a shoe until somebody steps into it. Then it has meaning. The rest of us just want to have a chance to touch that greatness. We need you in these shoes – not so that you have meaning in your life – but so that we have meaning in our lives. Everybody at this table will be forgotten as soon as our time here is up – except for you. You are going to be remembered forever – because some things are eternal. You are Michael Jordan – and your story is going to make us – want to fly.”

Nike offered Michael a $2.5 million, five-year partnership deal with 25% royalty on every Air Jordan shoe sold. The deal was sealed.

Director Ben Affleck is Nike co-founder Phil Knight in AIR

The original Nike Air Jordan went on to change the world when Michael Jordan was playing for the Chicago Bulls. The timing was pertinent because Nike Inc. was on the verge of closing its basketball shoe division in 1984 because of disappointing sales. Production was about to discontinue until Sonny proved how vital vision and imagination is in business. The Nike Air Jordan shoe would reignite the company’s relationship with the NBA because Sonny knew that betting on a rookie player like Michael Jordan – would change the face of Nike. It did.

Air Jordan shoes became so valuable that in 1998, Michael Jordan’s NBA Final sneakers (with his signature on them) sold for $2.2 million.

Marketing drives businesses. Adidas and Converse had up until the 1980s always been the favored shoe brand for top NBA players, and Nike’s Marketing VP, Rob Strasser, along with Phil Knight, asked Sonny to become Nike’s basketball talent scout. His mandate was to come up with ideas to keep Nike’s basketball shoe division alive.

Sonny was industrious in hosting basketball tournaments for high school players, and he nurtured his relationships with the coaches. But it wasn’t until he encountered Dean Smith, who coached Michael Jordan at the University of North Carolina, that the dream began to germinate. Sonny proposed that Nike manufacture an exclusive shoe line with an NBA star. He met the NBA player through his friend, George Raveling, who was assistant to the national team coach, Bobby Knight.

Sonny’s first meeting with Michael Jordan was an abject failure. But he learned from that first failure and never gave up. Then, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics occurred – in which 21-year-old Michael Jordan and his team won the gold medal.

He debuted for the Chicago Bulls wearing a pair of Air Jordan 1s. Nike covered the cost of the fine he incurred for not wearing shoes similar to his teammates. Ultimately, it was Sonny Vaccaro, Strasser, and the team’s unwavering faith in Michael Jordan’s trajectory that brokered one of the biggest deals in player history. Unlike Adidas and Converse, Nike had 100% confidence in Michael Jordan’s gargantuan abilities and his genetic charisma that played to the world and the media like a charm. Emblematic of the huge deal signed and sealed was Michael Jordan’s acquisition of a red Mercedes Sports car which he drove with panache. It had confidence and style.

Nike went on to become one of the greatest shoe brands with $126 million worth of Air Jordans sold in the first year of manufacturing. That number exceeded their targeted goal by $123 million. Sonny Vaccaro’s vision was spot-on accurate: Air Jordans became a cultural emblem in the sporting world – making them legendary and immortal.

Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser

The Air Jordan Brand represents $4 billion in sales annually for Nike. Rob Strasser was credited with revolutionizing sports marketing at Nike basketball. Howard White is one of the founding fathers and current vice president of the Air Jordan division at Nike.

Michael is reported to make $400 million per year in passive income as a result of his revenue share in Nike. Nike bought Converse in 2003. Phil Knight (co-founder and chairman of Nike) has donated over $2 billion to charity. Peter Moore (Nike’s creative director) – after designing the Air Jordan 1 – came up with the idea to replace the logo with a silhouette from a photo of Jordan flying through the air. It appears on every Air Jordan product.

Michael is unequivocal that the Nike deal would not have happened without Coach George Raveling’s introduction of Michael to Sonny Vaccaro and his recommendation and support.

Sonny Vaccaro went on to become a key figure in the 2014 O’Bannon vs. NCAA class action lawsuit, which demanded that colleges compensate student athletes for commercial use of their name and likeness. The New York Times said a victory would rank Sonny as one of the greatest reformers in sports history. In 2014, the court ruled in favor of the players.

The precedent set by the Air Jordan deal resulted in billions more dollars going to athletes and their families.

Michael Jordan went on to become the greatest basketball player of all time. He is considered by many to be the greatest competitive athlete in history.

If you haven’t already watched the movie Air, it is well worth it. This fast-paced, uplifting piece of directorial brilliance is a strong reminder of the power of one person’s unrelenting conviction and vision. The American Dream has always been driven by clever idea generation, vision and energy. Nobody shows us that more clearly than the humble and unassuming Sonny Vaccaro.