A new film about Air Jordans almost benched a Black Nike exec. Enter Chris Tucker

Ever since the premiere of its eye-catching trailer during the Super Bowl, “Air” has been generating a lot of positive buzz.

Much of the hoopla is driven by the impressive cast, including Oscar winners Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Viola Davis. The dramedy about Nike’s risky mission in 1984 to produce the Air Jordan — a basketball sneaker named after superstar Michael Jordan, and the first time a major shoe line had been linked to a star athlete — marks the third teaming for Damon and Affleck after their 1997 triumph in “Good Will Hunting,” and Affleck’s return to the director’s chair for the first time in seven years.

But the excitement is also driven by the presence of Chris Tucker, the star of the blockbuster “Rush Hour” buddy cop franchise and the 1995 ‘hood comedy “Friday,” who hasn’t appeared in a film in seven years.