Why Michael Jordan doesn't appear in new sports drama 'Air'

The film, which was released on April 5, 2023, follows Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck (plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight) and his long-time best friend Matt Damon (plays Nike shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro) as they recreate Nike's pursuit of a partnership with Michael Jordan.

However, the star himself was excluded from the movie and for good reason, at least according to Affleck. Although he doesn't appear in the movie, his role was given to actor Damian Young who is shown from behind or out of focus.

Affleck said that including Jordan would have redirected the audience's attention to a different perspective which would not have been satisfactory even then.

"Jordan is too big. He exists above and around the story, but if you ever concretize him, if you ever say, “Yes, that’s Michael Jordan,” we know it’s not, really. It’s fake. I thought if the audience brought everything they thought and remembered about him and what he meant to them to the movie and projected it onto the movie, it worked better," Affleck said.

However, Jordan handpicked actor Viola Davis to play his mother. The role is crucial to the movie because she (Deloris) was a big part of negotiating the endorsement deal.

“I know Michael Jordan but didn’t know that Deloris brokered this deal to get him a huge stake in the shoe and in turn, protected her son’s legacy. I wanted to know more about this woman who had the strength and courage to fight for her son’s worth,” Davis told the Hollywood Reporter.

The movie is not yet available to stream and the only way to watch it is by purchasing a movie theatre ticket.

For viewers outside the US, the movie is expected to land on Prime Video since Amazon Studios is behind the production. However, the date for streaming plans has not been revealed yet.