Air Jordan

You would be right to be suspicious of this review.  First off I am a basketball fan, second I am a Michael Jordan fan, but the focus on this story is more on risk taking for marketing.  My favorite line in "Air" (2023) is "everybody knew."  After the decisions were made and the results were overwhelming one character declared he knew all along and the main character replied that "Yeah, everybody knew."  Not true in this story and not true in a lot of stories.

Nike, the company known for running shoes was in trouble, especially in their basketball division.  Their budget for sponsorships had been cut and top basketball players were not interested.  It seemed likely if they don't pull off something unexpected they are going to eliminate the department.  In the early part of the movie, the main characters are in despair.  They argue which of the upcoming draft choices they should target.  Basketball fans will recognize some of the names, but I confess I don't even have a vague memory of some of them.

Michael Jordan had made a last second basket that won the March Madness tournament, but wasn't thought to be the top draft choice and had even dismissed Nike, not even wanting to talk to them.  Sonny Vaccaro, a Nike shoe salesman hired for his basketball expertise has an analytical talent  He studies endless clips of several players.  We see a lot of repetition of Jordan's winning basket and he sees and understand something that others missed.  There was actually a more famous player on the same team and he was bypassed at this critical point of the game.  The coach, Dean Smith had been criticized for coming very close in previous years and was determined to win.  Looking very closely Sonny concluded that this most crucial play was made for the 18 year old freshman, Michael Jordan.  Dean Smith had trust he would not be let down.

Having decided on this new target there was still the problem of how to overcome the Jordan indifference and a limited budget.  First Sonny demanded to be able to use the entire $250,000 budget for one player instead of 3 originally budgeted for.  All of the executives above him thought that because of the Jordan family declaration they did not want to talk to Nike made it not worth while.  Talking to Jordan's agent Sonny was told there could not be any direct talk to the Jordan family.

One of Sonny's colleagues said his success had come from talking to the mothers of top players and sure enough it was clear the Delores Jordan was a tough bargainer.  Risking a sanction against a direct approach Sonny decided to fly from Oregon to North Carolina.  He had a few words with Mrs. Jordan, who was impressed with his audacity and speech.  

He convinced her to to come to Beaverton, Oregon to meet the Nike board.  In the meantime he realized the money and clever words weren't enough.  He conceived the idea of developing a special shoe for Michael.  Working with their design they aimed a very high end shoe that could be adjusted.  They also thought a shoe with more red in it (he had been drafted by the Chicago Bulls) would be worth a fine of $5,000 for each game.  They came up with the idea of Air Jordan, although his agent also claimed credit.  Later they developed a logo based on a silhouette of Michael jumping through the air.  

The Jordans were impressed, but a later phone call (agonizingly delayed) from Mrs Jordan had one revolutionary request that her son get a commission on each shoe sold with his name on it.  Sonny explained this couldn't be done, but with some haggling it was done.  Afterwards (learned as the credits rolled) Sonny helped extend the commission idea to college athletes.

If you know about basketball you will know Nike signing up Michael Jordan was one of the smartest ever marketing decision anywhere.  And some people claimed that everybody knew he would be a superstar.

For basketball fans this is mostly a big tease until the end when they show a few clips of the real Michael Jordan doing what justifies the whole fuss, plus you hear a tribute to his mother.

The story had a guarantee of a good audience, but they were aided by an all star cast of actors and experienced crew.

For Alex Convery this was his first feature movie script.  He had grown up in Illinois and had been a Chicago Bulls fan.  He decided he wanted to be a film script writer.  During the Covid lockdown he watched "The Last Dance" (2020) a biographical series about Jordan.  In there was a 5 minute or so clip about the Nike deal and that provided the inspiration.   He wrote and re-wrote the script several times and sent it out.  It reached the attention of Ben Affleck who liked it and discussions soon resulted in a decision to start filming.

Ben Affleck was director and producer and played the role of Phil Knight, founder of Nike.  He is the one who sat with Michael Jordan to get permission. He is part of a creative team that started in his youth when he befriended Matt Damon, both living close to each other, taking part in Little League baseball and taking drama lessons.  Ben's first acting job was for a Burger King commercial.  They worked together with small roles, writing scrips.  Together they teamed up writing a script for "Good Will Hunting" and taking a role.  The film won an Oscar for the two writers and was a artistic and commercial success. He went on to win other awards including another Oscar.  His film credits include "State of Play" (2009), "The Company Man" (2010),  "The Town" (2010), "Tower Heist" (2011), "Argo" (2012) "Gone Girl" (2014), "The Accountant" (2016), "The Way Back" (2020) and "The Tender Bar" (2022).  He has a very calculating mind and was able to win a $365,000 pot in a Las Vegas poker tournament.       

Matt Damon also was a producer and the main lead.  As part of his teaming with Ben, they were extras in "Field of Dreams" (1989).  Matt Damon had dropped out of Harvard to concentrate on a film career.  His film credits include "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1994), "The Rainmaker" (1997), "Invictus" (2009), "The Informant" (2009), "Inside Job" (2010), "Hereafter" (2020), "We Bought a Zoo" (2010), "The Adjustment Bureau"" (2011), "Contagion" (2011), "Elysium" (2013), "Interstellar" (2014), "The Martian" (2015), "Manchester By the Sea" (2016) and "Ford vs. Ferrari" (2019)  He is best known by many for his 3 films as Jason Bourne.  Along with Ben he was very involved in fine tuning the script.

Peter Guber was another producer.  The films he has been a producer or an executive producer have earned $3 billiion dollars around the world and gained 50 Oscar nominations.  His film credits include "Rain Man" (1988), "Gorillas in the Mist" (1988) and "The Last Dance" (2020).  He was the producer for Grammy winning music and official soundtrack for the 1984 Olympics.  Perhaps more important he has been in charge of Sony Pictures and turned them around and then going on to set up other studios.  He has been on the faculty of UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television and is a full professor.  He has had a 20 year business relationship with Magic Johnson involving a theatre chain and ownership of the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He is a man who believes in the power of stories and inspired me to tell one of my most useful ones in his best selling book "Tell to Win".  check  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/06/tell-to-win-offers-winning-formula.html

Robert Richardson was the cinematographer and has won 3 Oscars plus another 4 nominations.  Before starting with feature films he did documentaries for PBS and BBC.  His film credits include "Eight Men Out"  (1988), "JFK" (1991),  "Heaven & Earth" (1993), "The Horse Whisperer" (1998), "The Aviator" (2004), "Inglorioius Basterds" (2009), "Eat Pray Love" (2010), "Hugo" (2011), "Django Unchained" (2012) and "A Private War" (2018).

William Goldenberg was the editor.  He won an Oscar for "Argo" (2012).  Other film credits included "Gone Baby Gone" (2007), "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012), "The Imitation Game" (2014), "Unbroken" (2014), "Concussion" (2015), "Detroit" (2017, "News of the World" (2020) and "The Outfit" (2012).

Jason Bateman played Rob Strasser Sony's immediate boss.  He is a versatile film maker.  Among his early roles at age 12 was with television series, for 21 episodes of "House on the Prairie".  At age 18 he directed 3 episodes of another tv. series.  His film credits include " The Invention of Lying" (2009), "Up in the Air" (2009), "The Change Up" (2011), "Bad Words" (2013), "This is Where I Leave You" (2013), "The Gift" (2015), "Zootopia" (2016), "Ozark "(2017-2020) and "Game Night" (2018).

Viola Davis was requested by Michael Jordan himself to play his mother.   She is another Oscar winner, this time for "Fences" (2016) for a supporting role she originated on Broadway.  She also is the first African American to win an Emmy for the lead in a television dramatic series,  "How to Get Away With Murder" (2014-2020).  Altogether she has won  112 awards and 231 nominations.  Other film credits include  "It's Kind of a Funny Story" (2010), "Eat Pray Love" (2010), "Trust" (2010), "The Help" (2011), "Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close" (2011), "Prisoners" (2013), "Widows" (2018), "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (2020), "The Unforgiveable" (2021) and "The Woman King" (2022).  She was chosen to play Michelle Obama in "The First Lady" (2022).    I had not seen that at this time, but insired to watch it was not disappointed.  Check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/12/the-first-lady.html  She also has been a producer for 18 films with more on the way.

Viola Davis' actual husband Julius Tennon played Michael Jordan's father.  He received a football scholarship to University of Tulsa where he also became the first African American to graduate from their theatre program.  Has over 60 film credits (as actor and producer) including "How To Get Away with Murder" (2017) and"The Woman Warrior" (2022).  They try to arrange to work on the same film projects.

Chris Tucker plays the one role Michael Jordan requested to be included, Howard White.  He is well established as a stand up comedian.  For a brief time he was he highest paid actor in Hollywood, with $25 million for "Rush Hour 3" (2007).  Other film credits include "Rush Hour" (1998), "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012) and "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" (2016).

 One surprise was there was almost no sign of Michael himself.  The most was a telephone voice.  This was a decision by Ben Affleck who felt anything but the real Michael Jordan would seem a fake.

It may seem like a mundane subject, a sponsorship for a basketball shoe, but it illustrates that everybody didn't know.  A lot of very talented people put an effort to its success.

You can read about my 60 years of basketball involvement  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/my-60-year-love-affair-with-basketball.html

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  Not so usual was the large numbers of such films, hopefully reflecting the calibre of the people involved rather than my vanity (really I was lucky to have seen such films).   

My over 60 year love affair with Basketball

The Raptors' improbable victory has opened up a lot of memories.  I say improbable only because like many fans I have lived through many disappointments.  What kept me going was that there were many wonderful memories.

Who are we kidding? We are enjoying a vicarious experience  The players came through for us and if we really understand the game we realize coaches, trainers and in the case of the Raptors the manager and president played critical roles.  But behind all that are us fans.  We drove interest when it didn't seem like a sure way to make money.  We have all been disappointed after being teased from time to time.

My introduction to basketball came before the age of 10 from a Sunday school teacher, John Moffatt, son of the minister who married my parents and brother to another minister who helped bury my mother.  My guess is he loved basketball and thought a group social event would help turn us into good Christians.  Simcoe Street United Church had recently had an addition intended I guess for banquets and meetings, but also included basketball nets.  I don't remember having much awareness before being invited, but it was an enjoyable experience that opened my mind and heart.  No one would describe me as a good Christian, but I did become a basketball fan.

A few years later I entered King Street Public School for grades 7 and 8.  There wasn't much for basketball, but they did have nets on the school wall and very crude mobile nets.  To be honest I didn't play much, but knew several students who became good players.

Oshawa Central Collegiate really perked my interest.  They had three age level teams and they all seemed to win.  Mr McIlveen coached the senior team, but also took time to spend on the youngest team.  I never made any of the three teams, but watched almost all their games and not just the home games.  I walked to school with two players Larry Horne and Charlie Marlowe.   At 5' 7"  I was at a disadvantage but more critically by not having binocular vision which just means one of my eyes didn't function the same as my dominant eye.  Not aware of this lack until one of the tryouts, but in truth neither handicapped me enough to stop me playing and enjoying.

I did play intramural basketball, but more importantly spent a couple of hours almost every school day playing basketball after classes.  On Saturdays they had a league which included many top high school players--mediocre, but actually got one headline which highlighted the one game I scored the most points, but identified me as a defensive player.  More strong points included that I was faster and quicker than many and could out jump a lot of taller players.  While there I attended a referee's clinic and learned to appreciate the game from their perspective.  My interest in defense explained:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/09/bill-russell-and-rise-of-defense.html

As I approached the end of grade 11 I was told my family was moving to Haliburton for my next school year.  As I was cut from the junior team the coach, Mr Barkowsky assured me I would do better in Haliburton.  Haliburton did turn out more satisfying.  For two years I was a first stringer and was usually assigned to cover the opposition best guard and was able to block shots and get rebounds against much taller players.  Our team was able to win a few games, but never advanced beyond the regular season.  The school had a rule that grade 13 students were not allowed to play on school teams, but fortunately for me they dropped that rule when I reached grade 13.  The local doctor's son came back (he had been at I think at a private school), Jim Best and he was also able to play as well.  I remember Andy Paul, Les Fotheringham and Jim Hunter, who later died in a hunting accident.  When my father asked someone if I was any good he was told I could jump like a kangaroo.  I was never a big scorer.  One personal memory was seeing that Mr Barkowsky coached one of our opposition teams in Lakefield and I was able to say hello.  More even than winning the occasional game or scoring a few points my most vivid memory was blocking the shot of an athletic player for another team.

At the University of Guelph I knew I was over my head.  I occasionally played intramural and lot of pickup.  Again my best memories involved blocking shots.  I watched all the home games coached by Garney Henley an active all star football player.  They did win a few games, but more often losing,
After I graduated they won a national championship and I was able to interview Garney Henley for a project.  Before that I actually met my wife because I wanted to watch Guelph play on tv and because the set didn't work drove to Guelph and got introduced to my future wife for a blind date.   Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/08/how-i-met-my-wife.html

After university and living in southern Ontario I had more access to watching the NBA on tv.  I became a tv hog annoying people when they wanted to watch a hockey game or non sports program.  I developed an attachment to the Chicago Bulls--well before Michael Jordan.  I was conscious of Norm Sloan who went on to coach the Utah Jazz.  One obsession was with a third string center name Dennis Awtrey.  He was not a big scorer or even rebounder, but was often assigned to cover the best  centre player on the opposition team and in his clumsy way he made life miserable.  I could identify with him.  Of course when Michael Jordan came the Bulls became even more popular for me.  I also enjoyed Scottie Pippin and later Toni Kukoc.  I remember watching future coach Steve Kerr scoring a winning basket.

After going through my first job I had moved to the Hamilton area to do a job checking car insurance policies.  One day took me to Fort Erie just after a snow storm and on impulse decided to go to Buffalo so I could check out my first NBA game.  The Buffalo Braves were an expansion team, but after seeing a few other games and following them on tv and radio I got to love their players--my favorite was Randy Smith and later Bob McAdoo. 

I wrote a letter to Bill Ballard, son of Harold Ballard  who was serving time in jail.  Harold did not like basketball seeming to think it a sissy game, but his son was more open.  At this time they were contemplating getting involved with the NBA.  My letter was passed over to Ken Twigg and I ended up selling tickets when the Buffalo Braves decided to play part of their season at Maple Leaf Gardens.  At this time I was working for the Oakville Journal Record in their circulation department and had offered a Buffalo Braves ticket as a sales incentive.  When they did in fact start playing in Toronto I got the whole circulation department to have a sales promotion which went over well.  I was a little critical of the ad campaign and made one suggestion which they did use for in the big Toronto dailies.  I had already designed an ad for the Record high lighting the 24 second rule when Pete Maravich played a game in Toronto.  check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/06/travels-of-salesman-part-1-ontario.html

One of the concerns I ran into aside from basketball being boring, sissy, strange, etc was that it was an American game.  This offended me, but at the time there were barely any Canadian professional players.  On impulse I decided to write a book on Canadian contributions to the game and gained quite an education.   I met several what to me were celebrities including Garney Henley, Bill Robinson, Jack Donohue, Ron Foxcroft, etc., etc.  I received letters from many people and treasure a response from Bill Bradley.  I traveled a bit with the help of a government grant including Montreal, Ottawa and Springfield, Massachusetts.  Another memory was being only one of three whites in a crowded gym of Filipinos cheering on their teams from Toronto and Montreal.

I had hoped the Canadian national team would at least win a medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympic medals, but the ball didn't bounce the right way.  I ended up dealing with two publishers, but the reality was they didn't have enough confidence there would be a market for it and I ended up giving up.  It did result in some articles in a recreation newsletter through Shopper's Drug Mart, a children's story and contributing to a master's thesis.  I learned a lot about basketball and publishing.  Two earlier blogs give more details of my "career" with basketball:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/02/my-basketball-projects-part-one.html and  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/03/my-basketball-projects-part-two.html

Update:  August 11, 2021  Not sure what year, but Hamilton, under ownership of Ron Foxcroft (inventor of the Fox whistle and famed referee) took part in a new league that had the idea of limiting the height factor.  All teams were given a height total for the players on the floor at any one time, which meant if you elected to have one exceptionally tall player he had to be balanced with shorter players.  I was only able to watch one game, before the league collapsed due to a massive fraud.  Nobody has been able to revive the idea, but it would probably make games more exciting and accessible for more people.

 My interest in basketball didn't wane too much, but I did have other interests including being a father to two children.  Finally the Raptors came to Toronto and my interest perked up.  I do remember their first draft choice, Damon Stoudamire was booed which just goes to show that fans are not as knowledgeable as they think.  I attended a few games with my son who now watches live games on tv in New Zealand (at very odd hours).  Vince Carter got a lot of attention and over the years a number of outstanding players have passed through to keep up interest even though there were a steady line of disappointments.  One got the feeling Americans didn't like us as most of the best players avoided Canada (this did in the Vancouver franchise) seeking out the American media

One promising note from just a few years ago was that  Masai Ujiri  had been offered a contract with the Raptors as general manager.  Ujiri had been raised in Nigeria and originally was steered towards soccer, but he became interested in basketball and his family supported him.  He played a bit in the U.S. collegiate system and professionally in Europe.  After finishing playing he moved back to Nigeria and got involved with youth programs.  At summer camps he made contacts with NBA executives and made an impression that led him to be an international scout for the Denver Nuggets.  From there in 2013 he was named NBA Executive of the year.   Obviously it takes a few years to assemble a team.  From there he came to Toronto with one of his first moves trading popular, but disappointing player Andrea Bargnani to New York.  Shortly after they obtained DeMar DeRozen and Kyle Lowry and made the playoffs consistently.

After the end of the 2018 season he was involved in some very heavy decisions.  He fired the coach of the Year, Dwane Casey, although most would blame LeBron James for the short playoff run.  The most popular player who stated he wanted to stay in Toronto (not a common sentiment for many other players) DeMar DeRozan, but was the best bargaining tool.  In return for DeRozan and others they got Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green and then later Marc Gasol (for a promising popular player, Jonas Valunciunas).  Fans were very upset until the season actually began.  All three players became starters.  Kyle Lowry retained his critical starter role, but a backup player, Pascal Siakim, perhaps the league's most improved player stepped up for the fifth spot.  He is from Cameroon with his first language French and is always smiling and looks to be the future.

Researching Masai I learned one interesting fact that he criticized Donald Trump for his reference to "shithole countries."  Trump doesn't seem to realize there are people all over wanting to improve themselves and capable of contributing to America.  There is speculation about whether Trump would invite the Canadian NBA champions to the White House.  I hope they get a chance to reject him.  More on "shithole countries":  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/01/the-brain-drain-fromshithole-countries.html

Unfortunately there is also speculation about the future of not only Kawhi, but also Masai who rumor has it, has been offered more money to work with the Washington Wizards in a town where his wife works.  But now I think the Raptors have helped establish basketball in Canada and I hope to watch Canadian teams and players do well.  I am very pleased that basketball has grown so much in the Canadian conscience and think it is a good thing for the whole country.

Eleven Rings

Basketball is just a game, like hockey or baseball or soccer. Each has its peculiarities and we assume they are not as serious as business.  But one thing they have in common is that business involves a group effort that can be optimized with co-operative energy.   Of course at its highest level sports are business enterprises trying to maximize revenue and minimize expenses.

Phil Jackson is unusual in his approach to coaching. A lot of people would consider him weird with his emphasis on spiritual matters and others attribute his success to the luck of having Hall of Fame players to guide.  Bottom line, he has participated in more NBA championship winners than any other person--11 of them referred to in the title.

Phil was born in a remote community in Montana and played high school and university basketball in North Dakota.  Like almost anyone who makes it to the NBA he was a key player at the high school and university level and used to getting a lot of attention.  But he was not a superstar and had to learn to blend in with others with more talent in the NBA.  As a player he won one championship while a reserve player and actually was off a whole season due to an injury when the New York Knicks won a second championship. The injury gave him the opportunity to work with coach Red Holzman who he credits with teaching coaching basics.

In Phil's mind, the NBA has become too glamorized with the marketing strategy concentrating on celebrity players.  This has made too many players shoot for glory rather than fitting in with a team to optimize their effectiveness..

With talent comes a lot of ego. Can you imagine players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant?  Or Dennis Rodman?  Or Shaquille O"Neal?  They were all capable of critical contributions, but they also could demotivate others that were capable of blending their talents towards victory.  Coaches were constantly dealing with the others who felt they were not getting a fair chance.  Phil was fortunate to associate with wealthy club owners, but they all had problems with melding expensive talent to expected championships.

Two of his greatest players, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin once felt threatened by the Chicago manager drafting a European player, Toni Kukoc and overpraising him.  They ganged up on Toni at the Olympics, but later teamed up with him under the guidance of Phil.  All three players contributed to a championship ring.

Kobe Bryant came straight from high school with more talent than almost anyone and an exceptionally developed ego.  He resented anything that did not revolve around him getting the shot. Phil teamed him up with Shaquille O'Neal, one of the most physically dominant centers of all time and used to getting a lot of attention.  It was a long time before they became buddies.

Phil studied psychologist Carl Rogers who believed it was virtually impossible for anyone to change unless they thoroughly accept who they are.

Before a game, especially a tough one it is common for coaches to try to rouse up their players' emotions, but Phil preferred to try to quiet their minds.  He encouraged his players to meditate and practice mindfulness.   Yoga and Tai Chi were on his agenda.  He also took from Lakota Indians, including their way of handling anger.

From Red Holzman, "Practice doens't make perfect.  Perfect practice does."  Red also realized the importance of bench players and made a point to warn them when they would be expected to play and to watch the 24 second clock so they wouldn't be caught off guard.

Phil comments that a lot of details are just as important as the ones that get recorded.  An example is the assist which is awarded to the player who makes the pass that leads to a score.  He feels the pass that leads to the pass that leads to a score is just as important.

His approach to basketball is unique.  He was fortunate to have the physical and mental requirements to be a professional basketball player and wise enough to learn how to get others to achieve great success on the court and to find greater meaning in life.