Ben Affleck, 50, and his son Samuel,10, made a rare public appearance together at the Ruffles Celebrity Game during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday. The actor brought along his youngest child, whom he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 50, to the star-studded event, and got attention from the crowd when he introduced the starters in a microphone as Sam stood beside him with enthusiasm. The duo also sat courtside near comedian Chris Tucker, whom chatted and laughed with Ben, during the game.
Ben Affleck and his son Samuel introduce the 2023 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game starting lineups: Part 1/2 pic.twitter.com/WiGXMpAerX
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Ben wore an off-white sweater, olive green denim pants, and tan and white sneakers to the event. Sam also showed off his own style, which included a black Air Jordan T-shirt, jeans, and blue and white sneakers. At one point, Ben put his hand on Sam’s shoulder and their close bond was clear.
Ben’s appearance at the game seemed to promote his upcoming role as Nike co-founder, Phil Knight, in the movie, AIR, which is set to be released in Apr. The highly-anticipated film is about Sonny Vaccaro, who is played by Ben’s real-life pal, Matt Damon, and his attempt to sign Michael Jordan to save the Nike brand. Chris as well as Jason Bateman and Viola Davis also have starring roles in the film.
Before the game, Ben, who is also the father of daughters Violet, 17, and Seraphina, 14, spoke with reporters behind a table reserved for NBA players for post-game interviews. Since the movie is largely about NBA legend Michael, may were wondering who would play him in the film, but Ben said he’s actually never seen on screen, and there’s a very good reason why.
“I thought the minute I turn the camera on somebody and ask the audience to believe that person was Michael Jordan, the whole movie falls part,” Ben explained, according to NBA.com. “When somebody is that powerful, where just their silhouette s a globally recognized phenomenon, you lose people.”