Basketball fans are well aware of the aura Michael Jordan possesses. Some of the biggest and toughest people inside and outside of basketball have spoken about Jordan being an intimidating presence toward them. And one person recently experienced this presence; Hollywood star Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck spoke about meeting with Michael Jordan in preparation for ‘Air’, the movie that looked at Michael Jordan’s historic deal with Nike.
He noted how intimidating Michael was, saying, “I’m not going to sit here and act like we’re friends. I’m totally intimidated by him. I’ve run into him a couple of times and I was gonna do the movie and I was like ‘Listen, could I sit down with you just for an hour because they talked about this thing? I got the script and if you don’t want me to do it, I just won’t do it, forget it’.”
“Just from a respect point of view and also self-preservation. I can’t think of anything stupider than making this movie and Michael Jordan being like ‘This is bullsh*t’.”
(From 14:07 mark):
Affleck also spoke about why Michael Jordan’s face was never shown during the movie, despite the crux of the movie being set around Jordan and his decision to sign with Nike over Adidas and Converse. From the way Affleck spoke about Michael Jordan, it is clear how much respect and admiration he has for His Airness.
Jordan And Nike Changed The Basketball Shoe Game
Jordan’s decision to sign with Nike catapulted both parties into another stratosphere. While Michael Jordan was sensational of his own accord, his brand became synonymous with his name and made him a household name.
As for Nike, they have gone on to become the premiere brand in basketball when it comes to basketball off the back of Jordan. Nike even made the Jordan brand a subsidiary, and it is by far their most profitable venture, even today, 20 years after Jordan called time in his legendary career.
