Ben Affleck's new drama Air, which charts Nike's iconic team-up with basketball star Michael Jordan, is earning positive first reactions following its premiere at South by Southwest. In fact, it went down so well with attendees, it seems, that it landed "the biggest standing ovation" of the festival, according to Twitter.
The movie centers on Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), the real-life sneaker salesman who signed Michael Jordan to his first endorsement deal with Nike back in the '80s. While the collaboration seemed risky at the time, given Jordan's rookie status, the athlete's relationship with Nike went on to become one of the most significant celebrity endorsement deals in history, and paved the way for Nike to become the global, multibillion-dollar company we all know today.
