Michael Jordan's real path to Nike revealed as historian debunks Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's 'Air'

Is Sonny Vaccaro truly the visionary down Michael Jordan's lucrative concern with Nike, arsenic portrayed successful the 2023 movie, Air?

Speaking astatine Fan Duel's Run It Back Tip Off Experience up of Tuesday's NBA Opening Night, retired Nike historiographer Scott Reames poked immoderate holes successful the communicative spun by manager Ben Affleck and writer Alex Convery.

'I was tense erstwhile they started selling it with the tag line: Inspired by existent events,' Reames told MC Michelle Beadle astatine the lawsuit successful the Bronx connected Tuesday evening. '… There was information successful a batch of it, but it was described to the incorrect person.'

Set successful the aboriginal and mid-1980s, the movie centers connected Nike's hunt for a caller spokesperson successful an effort to vie with Converse and Adidas. Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, is tasked by Nike CEO Phil Night to find that person, who yet turns retired to beryllium a peculiar rookie retired of North Carolina.

'So Sonny Vaccaro, Matt Damon was a cardinal character, cardinal star,' Reames told the assemblage connected Tuesday. 'And according to the movie, helium did everything.

'And successful reality, Sonny Vaccaro was important successful however helium fundamentally convinced Nike to motion Michael Jordan,' Reames continued. 'But his relation aft that beauteous overmuch disappeared.'

Instead, Reames explained, it was the efforts of Rob Strasser (played by Jason Bateman) and Peter Moore (played by Matthew Maher) that helped crook the Jordan-Nike concern into the billion-dollar roar it became.

'They did the lion's stock of each the things you saw successful the movie that was fixed to Matt Damon,' Reames said.

While immoderate parts were embellished, different scenes were imagined altogether. No, Jordan's parent Deloris was not the main negotiator connected her son's behalf, and Vaccaro's sojourn to the Jordan household successful North Carolina 'never happened,' according to Reames.

Reames besides recalled a treatment with Knight astir the movie aft the Nike CEO had caught a sneak peek.

According to the legendary sneaker magnate, 'Air' did a bully occupation of capturing the ambiance of the Nike offices successful the 1980s.

'He said: 'I emotion however it nails the 1984 vibe successful the office,, everything was spot on,' Reames said, paraphrasing Knight.

As for the remainder of it, Knight was little impressed.

'He goes: 'Oh no, they got everything wrong,' Reames said, drafting immoderate laughs from the crowd.

Reames described his ain acquisition of seeing the film, saying helium had to repeatedly punctual himself 'it's not a documentary, it's not a documentary.'