After the release of Good Will Hunting in 1997, the best friend duo Matt Damon and Ben Affleck showed the world the movie magic they can create when they join their creative minds. According to The Hollywood Reporter, these Academy-Award-winning legends will again share the screen in an upcoming movie about the lead-up to Michael Jordan's famous sneaker deal with Nike. Here's what we know so far.
Various publications have reported that Damon will play the part of Sonny Vaccaro, Nike's former executive, while Affleck will take on the role of Phil Knight, Nike's co-founder. The film will follow the story of these two leading characters and their struggle in 1984 to sign the upcoming NBA star and overall third draft pick, Michael Jordan. In an unprecedented business deal, Vaccaro managed to sway Jordan away from the biggest sneaker brands such as Adidas, Reebok, and Converse and recruit him on board the Nike team, a then-small shoe brand. Needless to say what came next. Nike is now the biggest sports brand in the world, with its Jordan Brand producing $5 billion in sales in 2021, according to Yahoo! Finance. Forbes estimates that Jordan has also done pretty well off the deal, earning an estimated $1.3 billion from Nike since 1984.
Back in 2004, Jordan spoke publicly about his choice to team up with the then smaller brand, Nike. "Even though I never envisioned myself wearing the (Nike) shoe, the creativity that it provided to me and the education of what this is all about -- what I wear on my feet and how it enhances my athletic ability - I'm happy with the choice."
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In light of his multi-million dollar deals with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, Vaccaro is often credited for having changed the sneaker industry as a whole and the relationship between brands and athletes as we know it today. In 2015, an ESPN 30 for 30 movie titled Sole Man was released, which told the story of Vaccaro's rise from humble roots to a powerful sports brand executive. Its director Jon Weinbach will work alongside Peter Guber to tell another part of the Vacarro/Jordan story in this upcoming film. Stay tuned for updates.
