The 2023 biographical sports drama Air tells the story of how Nike’s Air Jordan was created and how the gamble made by Nike executives made Michael Jordan and some of the executives themselves incredibly wealthy. As outlined in the movie, the Air Jordan likely saved Nike’s existence and helped make it the athletic apparel powerhouse it is today. The Air Jordan brand and the shoe itself still generate hundreds of millions of dollars every year and have become a steady stream of income for the basketball legend.
All the central figures in Air are based on the actual people involved with the shoe’s creation, and while the movie’s portrayal of Jordan’s early relationship with Nike isn’t entirely accurate, it gets much of the general information about the individuals correct. The movie only covers the period up until Jordan signs with Nike, but the more fascinating part of the true story is what comes next, which is addressed briefly in an epilogue. The incredible sales record of the shoe has kept all the individuals involved with its creation wealthy, especially Jordan himself, whose master stroke in negotiation was pushing for a percentage of every shoe sold.
Sonny Vaccaro’s Net Worth – $5 Million
In Air, Matt Damon portrays the Nike marketing executive who pushes for a complete upheaval of Nike’s basketball division strategy. While Air took some liberties with his pursuit of Jordan, Vaccaro was responsible for pushing for what was, at the time, a major gamble. His brilliant plan to grow a shoe brand alongside a player’s brand made the entire concept work, resulting in Nike’s explosive growth in the mid-80s and 90s.
In 1991, Vaccaro was fired from Nike and rebounded by using his sports marketing knowledge for Nike’s rival Adidas. During his tenure there, he helped Adidas sign Kobe Bryant, who was at that point still just a high school senior. Following his time at Adidas, he joined Reebok and continued his work in sports marketing. Now 83 and living in California, the retired executive’s career in sports marketing generated a net worth estimated at $5 million.
Phil Knight’s Net Worth – $46 Billion
The director of Air, Ben Affleck, plays Nike co-founder and CEO Phil Knight, who ultimately made the decision to designate Nike’s entire basketball division budget to sign Jordan as a spokesperson. While his relationship with Vaccaro would deteriorate several years after the events of Air, Knight continued to build the company around athlete spokespeople from across the American sports landscape, including icons like Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Lebron James, and Roger Federer. The 10 principles of Nike are highlighted in the movie, and that has continued to be a driving force behind the company’s success.
Phil Knight continued on as the chairman of Nike until 2016, after 52 years with the company, but he still retains a position as the chairman emeritus of the apparel giant. Under his guidance, Nike grew from his initial $500 investment into a global sports powerhouse and made Knight one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. He currently owns most of the company, and his net worth was most recently estimated at $46 billion.
Deloris Jordan’s Net Worth – $2 Million – $5 Million
Michael Jordan’s mother plays a key role in Air, as director Ben Affleck did not want moviegoers focused on Michael Jordan–who he believed nobody could convincingly play. She is portrayed by Viola Davis in the biopic, and the movie is largely responsible for Jordan ultimately signing with Nike. The deal, of course, made her son incredibly wealthy, but since the events of Air took place, Deloris Jordan has earned a modest fortune on her own.
Deloris Jordan has authored seven children’s books, including Salt In His Shoes, a New York Times best-selling book she co-authored with her daughter Roslyn about Michael Jordan’s pursuit of greatness. Sales from the books and her book tours generated plenty of money, and she has also parlayed that into successful real estate investments. While a precise number is difficult to pin down, most estimates of her independent wealth are between $2 million and $5 million.
Michael Jordan’s Net Worth – $2 Billion
While Jordan has virtually no role in Air, his signing is the driving force behind the movie’s events. Regarded by many as the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan’s immense wealth has been driven largely by being a spokesperson and his own investment, as he only earned $90 million in salary as an NBA player. As is outlined in the movie, the sticking point with Jordan’s negotiations with Nike and Adidas was his commitment to receiving a percentage of every shoe sold—that has resulted in a steady stream of money every year for Jordan.
In 2022 alone, the Air Jordan brand generated over $5 billion for Nike, with Jordan receiving more than $150 million. Like his deal with Nike in Air, his subsequent deals with other powerhouse brands like Gatorade, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Hanes have earned him hundreds of millions of dollars as well. In addition, he owns the NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, which is currently valued at $1.5 billion, and has investments in a NASCAR team and the sports betting platform DraftKings. Jordan was the first athlete to cross the $1 billion threshold in net worth, and as of today, his net worth is over $2 billion.
