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Sonny Vaccaro is played by none other than Matt Damon in the 2023 biographical sports drama film, Air, which follows the origin of the Air Jordan shoe line. The movie will be theatrically released in the United States on April 5, 2023, by Amazon Studios.
Vaccaro is best known for signing Michael Jordan to his first sneaker deal with Nike Inc. The first-ever Air Jordan shoe was produced for Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in late 1984. It was released to the public on April 1, 1985.
Vaccaro left Nike in the 90s for Adidas, and then Reebok. He founded ABCD Camp, which ran from 1984 to 2007
Sonny Vaccaro says Air is "off the charts"
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Sonny Vaccaro revealed that he was excited to watch the film and is glad that Matt Damon is playing him. He said that he and his wife were invited to the set and they had a great time. Not only did he get to meet Damon, he also mentioned a funny connection with the actor
Sonny Vaccaro was stunned by the cast of the film and compared it to the star cast of Gone With The Wind.
He said:
"It's like 'Gone With The Wind' or something. I mean, my God, there are no guys that the world's not going to know."
Vaccaro added that the upcoming film was the "best thing" he had ever imagined, adding that he felt honored to be part of it. He said:
"This is the best thing that I could have ever imagined. And it's bigger because I never imagined it could happen. It's off the charts. It's off the charts. I can't explain."
Vaccaro also added:
"I'm 83 years old. It was complete surprise to me. It's an unbelievable honor and I believe in what they're going to do is going to be the truth on the film."
Alongside Sonny Vaccaro, Phil Knight also relentlessly pursued Michael Jordan to sign a shoe deal with Nike. Knight is the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company.
As of February 15, 2023, Knight was ranked by Forbes as the 17th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US $41.5 billion.
Phil Knight will be played by Ben Affleck in the film.
What to expect from Air?
Directed by Ben Affleck, Air will portray the journey of Sonny Vaccaro, a shoe salesman at Nike, who works day and night to sign rookie Michael Jordan to a deal to wear their shoes. Nike now generates billions of dollars alone from the sale of these sneakers in the modern day and age.
Alongside Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the film also stars Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, Matthew Maher, Julius Tennon, Tom Papa, Joel Gretsch, Gustaf Skarsgård, Barbara Sukowa, Jessica Green and Dan Bucatinsky.
The official synopsis of the movie reads:
"Air is a drama that centers around the early days of Nike’s now juggernaut brand, Air Jordan, and the company’s relationship with the then Chicago Bulls rookie, Michael Jordan. With his incredibly supportive mother by his side, the basketball all-star and his family will battle with the executives at the top of the company to guarantee that they get an equal slice of the pie."
The film is written by Alex Convery.
Air will be theatrically released in the United States on April 5, 2023, by Amazon Studios.
