‘Air’ Ending Explained: Whatever Happened to This Michael Jordan? (original) (raw)

Published Apr 5, 2023, 12:00 PM EDT

Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows.

In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA.

Air is the latest in the recent line of biographical films about the origins of famous products; apparently 2023 is the year when audiences get to learn about the origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Blackberrys, and Air Jordans. While it may seem odd to be rooting for the success of a major brand label, Air marks the welcome return of Ben Affleck to the director’s chair for the first time since Live by Night went almost unseen at the tail end of 2016. The film tells the surprising true story of how Michael Jordan’s deal with Nike changed advertising campaigns, athlete rights, and the sportswear industry forever. It’s an entertaining journey that closes with an interesting finale that reflects on the impact of the infamous pitch that convinced the Jordan family to sign with Nike.

Opening with a montage of 1984’s most iconic cultural moments (including clips from such varied films as Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, and Rhinestone), Air follows Nike salesman Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) as he desperately tries to save the brand after a year of losses. The basketball shoe marketing campaigns revolve around signing other athletes, but a meeting with the marketing executive Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) reveals that most of the top draft picks have already sided with other brands. Facing heavy competition from Adidas and Converse, Sonny must find a way to impress Nike founder and chairman Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) with a pitch that could save their brand from decline. Here is everything you need to know about what happened next, and the fates of everyone involved.

The Significance of Selecting Jordan

Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro in Air

Image via Amazon Studios

Michael Jordan is mentioned, referenced, and shown through archive footage in Air; while one pivotal sequence shows the entire Jordan family together, the famous player’s face is never seen on screen. Affleck said that “the one sure way to ruin the movie and have the audience understand that the whole thing is a fraud is to point the camera at anybody that’s not Michael Jordan and say, ‘Hey, that’s Michael Jordan!'" Affleck certainly shows his respect for Jordan, as the closing credits list his status as “the greatest basketball player of all-time” as a fact.

The initial meeting with Strasser reveals to Sonny that with funds plummeting, Nike has already been outbid for the top few picks in the 1984 NBA Draft. Jordan was a rookie ranked #3 overall, and it’s assumed that he will sign with Adidas. Sonny’s career revolves around finding emerging high school players, and he knows the impact Jordan will have on the game after they crossed paths at the University of North Carolina. He fixates on footage of Jordan’s infamous shots and fixates on a recurring image of him jumping; this is the icon that would later become Nike’s iconic dunk silhouette.

Sonny’s risky idea is to bet Nike’s entire basketball budget on signing Jordan, an endeavor that his colleague Howard White (Chris Tucker) knows is unheard of. However, Sonny is so convinced that his idea will be successful that he decides to take it a step further and base an entire line around Jordan. Sonny, Howard, and Strasser work with the shoe designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) to create the Air Jordan 1. They learn that Jordan likes red shoes, which would result in an NBA fine. In order to further convince the family, they decide to cover the cost for all of Jordan’s games.

The Jordan Family’s Stipulations

Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan on the phone in Air

Image via Amazon Studios

Knowing that they are being outbid and won’t be allowed into the initial meetings with Jordan’s family, Sonny reaches out to Jordan’s former coach George Raveling (Marlon Wayans) to learn more insights about the underdog set to storm the NBA. After communicating with Jordan’s temperamental agent David Falk (Chris Messina), Sonny decides to reach out to the family directly. He drives out to North Carolina to meet with Jordan’s parents Deloris (Viola Davis) and James (Julius Tennon). While they initially have their skepticism, Deloris ultimately decides to hear Sonny out after he predicts what the other competitors will say in their pitch meetings.

During the meeting itself, Sonny gives a stirring speech about what he sees in Jordan’s future, the challenges he will face, and how he represents the values of both America and Nike. Knight agrees to Sonny’s plans and even shows up personally in the meeting to underline its importance. After a tense few days of waiting, Sonny receives a call from Deloris, who agrees to sign and agree to all the terms. However, she also insists that her son is given a percentage of the sales earned on each product so that potential buyers will know the values of the person they’re supporting. She emphasizes the importance of “knowing what you’re worth.”

This was unheard of in sports licensing at the time, and initially, Sonny doesn’t know how to react. However, Knight agrees to the deal, and Jordan signs. Knight and Sonny sit back and reflect on their ambitions, hoping that the deal will result in a 3millionprofitoverthreeyears.Inthatperiod,theyendedupmakingover3 million profit over three years. In that period, they ended up making over 3millionprofitoverthreeyears.Inthatperiod,theyendedupmakingover126 million, and even both their initial rival Converse.

The Aftermath of Air

During the film’s closing credits, details are listed about the fates of all the real people portrayed in the film. Jordan would go on to become the most successful competitive athlete in history, leading the Bulls to a historic level of success and winning six championships (and of course, starring in Space Jam). Deloris remained by his side and started multiple charitable foundations to help underprivileged children; James Jordan was tragically killed in 1993.

Moore passed away shortly before the release of Air, but is credited for creating one of the most iconic images in Nike’s history. Sonny would go on to become a major proponent for athlete’s rights, including the O'Bannon v. NCAA lawsuit that allowed players to be compensated. He remains close friends with Raveling today. Knight would later become one of the richest men in the world, but donated billions to his multiple alma maters and continues to support educational foundations.