Who does Damian Delano Young play in Air?

Air, a sports marketing biopic based on the true story of how the popular Jordan sneaker came to prominence, is in theaters now.

The film follows Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), a Nike employee who wants to raise the company’s profile and has a way to do it, but his idea hinges on getting a rookie NBA player with incredible promise to go into a partnership with him. Said player is the legendary Michael Jordan before his name became synonymous with greatness.

In order to land this deal, Vaccaro gets in contact with Jordan’s parents, mentors, friends, and former coaches to secure what would become an industry changing brand. Actor Damian Delano Young plays a significant role in the film. Here’s who he plays!

Who does Damian Delano Young play in Air?

If you’ve seen Air then you know Michael Jordan isn’t in it much even though the movie is partly about him. The audience gets to see him in glimpses but never full on. Young is the actor that you’re seeing in those moments. He’s new on the scene. His credits include the film Strictly for the Streets Vol. 2 and the short Prom Night Flex, both came out in 2022.

Distractify reports that Ben Affleck, who directs the movie and plays Phil Knight, explained the reason for Jordan’s limited appearance in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. He said the following:

"This is a movie about an icon, about somebody who is so meaningful that the minute I show you somebody and tell you, ‘Hey, that’s Michael Jordan,’ you’re just gonna go, ‘No it isn’t. I know what Michael Jordan is, I know what he is. And not only that, but the only actor Michael Jordan was a little old to play this part, and we probably couldn’t afford him. But the idea was, if I show you … you know that’s not Michael Jordan. And now everything else is fake."

Based on Affleck’s statement it looks like the intent was to ensure the audience wasn’t taken out of the story Air was telling due to an inability to suspend disbelief when it came to Michael Jordan the character. Hence Jordan being more of a presence in the film rather than having a full on portrayal of the icon.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more movie news and coverage! Air is in theaters now.