“How Do You Say No to Michael Jordan?”: Revealing Unknown Fact About Yvette Prieto, Viola Davis Gets Candid About Her Demands From the Billionaire NBA Legend

Published 04/01/2023, 6:50 AM EDT

Michael Jordan has always kept his personal life very private. We rarely see pictures or videos of His Airness or his family. However, the six-time NBA champion has been in the news due to the release of the movie ‘Air‘. Directed by Ben Affleck, the movie follows the release of Michael Jordan’s exclusive line of sneakers, Air Jordan. It was a revolutionary moment, both for Jordan and in the sneaker industry. The actors have revealed some details about MJ and his family while promoting the movie, and the latest Viola Davis interview was no different.

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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon joined hands again for Air after appearing in 8 movies together. Affleck, apart from directing the movie, also takes on the role of Phil Knight, who is the co-founder of Nike. Meanwhile, Matt Damon steps into the shoes of Sonny Vaccaro, a former sports marketing executive. Viola Davis joined the cast as Michael Jordan’s mother, Doloris, at the insistence of His Airness.

Playing Michael Jordan’s mother on screen

Air is told through the perspective of Sonny Vaccaro, giving us an insight into the heroes behind the iconic deal. Jordan didn’t have many demands for the movie, but there was one he was adamant about. He wanted Viola Davis to play the role of his mother. Davis recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live where she revealed an unknown fact about MJ’s wife, Yvette Prieto.

Viola said, “We have not seen Michael Jordan. I’ve only met Michael Jordan one time, coming out of a hotel in New York. Because his wife was a ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ fan. He and her, they stopped me and he said, ‘Oh man my wife and my mother-in-law, they love ‘How To Get Away With Murder.””

She further mentioned that she only got in contact with His Airness due to the movie. She said, “That was my only contact with Michael Jordan until I heard he wanted me to play his mama.” When asked if Viola felt pressured to play the role, she replied humorously, “Yes. How do you say no to Michael Jordan? And hope to get free Nikes.”

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Michael Jordan doesn’t appear in the movie

The movie primarily focuses on Michael Jordan’s partnership with Nike. However, the basketball great does not star in it. Ben Affleck recently disclosed why Jordan does not star in the movie. He said that it wasn’t His Airness’ decision. Affleck never even thought about casting MJ to play the role of himself despite Jordan’s success.

Affleck is of the opinion that it is only Jordan who would be able to provide justice to his role on screen. However, he is now too old for the part. Damian Young plays Michael Jordan in the movie. Jordan’s face is never revealed on camera and his appearances are also kept brief.

Watch this story: MATT DAMON, BEN AFFLECK, AND ALL THE OTHER ACTORS SET TO STAR IN MOVIE ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN-NIKE DEAL

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With the movie set to hit the theatres on April 5th, 2023, the NBA world is booming with excitement. What are your thoughts on the trailer? Will you be watching the movie?

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Written by:

Ranjitha Ramesh is a freshman at EssentiallySports. A degree holder in Journalism and Mass Communication, Ranjitha is eager to report on the lifestyle and off-court shenanigans of popular NBA stars. She is a huge fan of LeBron James as a player and of the Lakers as a team.

Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth

“How Do You Say No to Michael Jordan?”: Revealing Unknown Fact About Yvette Prieto, Viola Davis Gets Candid About Her Demands From the Billionaire NBA Legend

Playing Michael Jordan’s mother on screen

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Michael Jordan doesn’t appear in the movie