Air is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Ben Affleck from a screenplay written by Alex Convery. It is based on True events about the origin of Air Jordan, a basketball shoeline, of which a Nike employee seeks to strike a business deal with rookie player Michael Jordan. The film stars Matt Damon, Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.
Plot
In 1984, Oregon-based Nike, Inc. is on the verge of bankruptcy due to low footwear sales. In response to this, Marketing VP Rob Strasser, along with co-founder Phil Knight, tasks Nike's basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro to come up with a new pitch for a shoeline based on current American sports. While considering the basketball players chosen in the 1984 NBA draft, Nike's executives think third pick Michael Jordan is off limits, being both a fan of Adidas and too expensive for the basketball division's meager budget. But once Vaccaro watches Jordan's highlights in conjuction with an Arthur Ashe commercial for his Head rackets, he becomes convinced Nike should pursue who he considers a generational talent, with both brand and athlete building off each other...