Matt Damon on 'Air' Easter eggs, his pal Ben Affleck and the time they met Michael Jordan

The year is 1986. Matt Damon is 16 and a rabid Boston Celtics fan.

But there's this Chicago Bulls guy making waves. Even Celtics icon Larry Bird says Michael Jordan is the real deal. Plus he's got these cool red and white shoes.

But Damon can't afford them.

"I couldn't buy Air Jordans; they were out of my price range," Damon says with a laugh. "But I was a huge MJ fan. Bird was the most ornery guy, but after Jordan scored 63 points against us one game, he said, 'That wasn't Michael Jordan, that was God disguised as Michael Jordan.' That was the green light to root for him."

Fast forward to today, and Damon, 52, is paying his own tribute to Jordan in "Air" (in theaters now; streaming soon on Amazon). The movie spotlights Nike's improbable wooing in 1984 of the North Carolina prodigy over market kings Converse and Adidas. The coup changed everything from footwear fashion to endorsement contracts.

Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, an overweight Nike basketball exec whose passion for talent has yet to land the company any big player endorsements. Until he determines – despite Nike founder Phil Knight's (Ben Affleck) grave doubts – that this Jordan kid  should get the company's entire annual endorsement budget.

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Directed by Affleck, "Air" is the latest collaboration between the pair, including 1997's "Good Will Hunting," for which both won Oscars for best screenplay.

Damon, his hair tousled and smile at the ready, is voluble in conversation, ranging from topics that include the subtle power of Viola Davis'  performance as Jordan's mother, the movie's goofy Easter eggs and the unforgettable time years ago when he and Affleck met His Airness in person.

Michael Jordan had demands of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon before they could make 'Air'

The "Air" script, by Alex Convery, riveted Affleck and Damon, but they needed Jordan's blessing. Affleck took that meeting. Jordan was supportive, but changes were in order. Not only would key Black figures in Jordan's life need to be highlighted, but he had one other big requirement.

"Michael talked about how important George Raveling (Marlon Wayans plays Jordan's mentor) and Howard White (Chris Tucker is Nike's marketing exec) were to him, but mostly he talked about his mother," says Damon, noting how Jordan was obsessed with getting a red Mercedes as a signing bonus but it was Deloris who pushed for a revolutionary shoe deal.

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"Michael said to Ben, 'Man, I would have done the whole thing for the car,'" laughs Damon. "Then Michael said he wanted Viola Davis for the part. So the good news was, now we knew what the movie is. The bad news, we can't do it without Viola Davis."

Damon likens her quiet power to that of Marlon Brando. "She talked about how her generation of African American women lived through their children, because they didn't have a chance to realize their own dreams," he says. "All of that is in this beautiful performance."

Ever since they were teens, Ben Affleck has 'had notes' for Matt Damon

Damon has been married to Luciana Barroso for two decades and the couple shares four daughters. Affleck, 50, is divorced from Jennifer Garner and now reunited (and married) to Jennifer Lopez.

But while their personal paths diverged, their friendship endures. So does Damon's respect for his friend's directing, which helped "Argo" take the Oscar for best picture in 2013.

"We've worked together since we were in high school theater," he says. "So people are going, 'This is the first time you've been directed by Ben.' And it's like, nah, he's been directing me since he was 14. He had notes."

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That toy Shelby Cobra and other 'Air' Easter eggs

There are many touches in "Air" that generate smiles, from the classic mid-'80s soundtrack to pop-culture references from the era. And then there's the car.

No, not the purple Porsche 911 Turbo that Knight drives. Rather, the small model of a '60s Shelby Cobra on Vaccaro's computer terminal was a nod to Damon's star turn as Carroll Shelby in 2019's "Ford v. Ferrari."

"Not many people have noticed that, but car fanatics are different, I guess," laughs Damon.

"There's another Easter egg in there, too," he says, alluding to a reference to the wrestler Hulk Hogan. "There's a Hulk Hogan project we're dancing around, so it's a nod to that, which will be fun if we ever do that movie."

When Ben Affleck met Michael Jordan: A tale of two 6-footers

While Damon couldn't afford those Air Jordans as a teen, he and Affleck eventually ran into the NBA phenom at a Las Vegas event many years ago.

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Affleck had some questions about how he could have pulled off his magic act without being super tall.

"So Ben stands up, kind of puffs out his chest, stands tall right up against Jordan, and I think, 'Oh God, I see where this is going,'" says Damon, rolling his eyes. "Ben's tall, like 6-foot-3. So Ben goes, 'No way you're 6-foot-6.' And Jordan goes, 'Yeah, I am.' And Ben goes, 'No, not a chance, you're 6-foot-4?, four and three-quarters tops!'

"And without missing a beat, Jordan says, 'Which is what makes what I did all the more incredible.'" Damon smiles. It could be a scene out of "Air," years later. "That was just one glimpse into that hyper-competitive genius of his, that amazing Jordan thing."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Air' movie: Matt Damon on meeting Michael Jordan, new Nike film