Chris Tucker finishes Michael Jordan film in return to Strip

Chris Tucker is so busy he needs a new pair of sneakers. Based on his latest film role, we know the brand.

Tucker, headlining 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Encore Theater, has just completed filming the Ben Affleck-directed feature film about Nike’s pursuit of hoops legend Michael Jordan. The multibillion-dollar partnership was one of the most important business deals in sports history.

Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Tucker is cast as the pivotal character Howard White, a rising executive at Nike and former standout at University of Maryland who used his connections to lure Jordan to the negotiations. Matt Damon portrays former Nike exec and legendary sports-marketing figure Sonny Vaccaro.

Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Viola Davis, Tom Papa, Matthew Maher, Chris Messina and Julius Tennon are also cast.

The movie’s title was originally reported to be “Air Jordan,” but has not been formally announced. Jordan is not represented in the film, but rather referred to as an unseen, mythic character.

“We just finished the movie, it’s coming out on Amazon (Prime Video),” Tucker says. “I don’t know when. But we had a great cast with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, a bunch of great co-stars.”

Tucker is known for playing opposite Jackie Chan in the “Rush Hour” and also in the 1995 comedy “Friday” with Ice Cube, among many other best-selling titles.

Tucker is also a Las Vegas resident, and has some famous neighbors. When Tucker moved to Vegas about 15 years ago, he happened to set up next door to a founding member of the Jackson 5.

“So I’ve got Jackie Jackson, the oldest Jackson brother, he’s my neighbor, and he shows up at my house,” Tucker says. “I know right away it’s him. He’s got that soft, Jackson voice (whispers highly), ‘Hey Chris? Chris? You here? You home?’ I have to say, ‘What!? Jackie!? Speak up! I can barely hear you!”

Tucker is the star Las Vegan you might not know lives in Vegas. Originally from Atlanta, he bought a home here in the mid-2000s. This is known as the Shaquille O’Neal residency method. He, too, splits time in Atlanta and Vegas.

“Shaq is everywhere,” Tucker says.

Tucker has also lived near Celine Dion, in her Lake Las Vegas days. He can do a respectable impression of her, too.

The veteran stand-up was inspired by such Vegas entertainment legends as Redd Foxx, Sammy Davis Jr. and all the Rat Pack-ian superstar headliners. He recalls being influenced by Richard Pryor angrily stalking offstage at the Aladdin in 1967, as Pryor cut his set rather than clean up his material (Dean Martin was among the stars in attendance that night).

“He changed his whole act after that,” Tucker says. “There is a great history of comedians who came out here, in the ’50s and ’60s, great entertainers. It’s just been a place I’ve always been nostalgic about.”

Tucker performed unbilled sets in George Wallace’s show in the mid-to-late 2000s, when Wallace headlined Flamingo Showroom. More recently he popped into Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club for a set, and was also a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” when the show taped at Zappos Theater in April 2019.

Tucker has headlined at Wynn Las Vegas for about four years. He loves the room.

“It’s is really a good place to play, it seems big, but it really plays small to me,” the comic says. “It feels like a club. It’s a beautiful place, it has the prettiest dressing room I’ve seen in my life. You’ve got a big picture of Frank Sinatra and all that stuff (laughs). It’s my style.”

Passing of a legend

James Caan, who died Wednesday at age 82, was a longtime friend of the Goodman family in Las Vegas. Mayor Carolyn Goodman and former Mayor Oscar Goodman got to know Caan in the late 1960s and early ’70s, at the ranch of famed Vegas casino executive Dean Shendal. That ranch in Green Valley was a beloved place for Vegas dignitaries to convene. Oscar Goodman and then-Clark County Sheriff Ralph Lamb would socialize on the property, even as they butted heads over Lamb’s dogged pursuit of Goodman’s infamous clients.

Goodman also appeared on the TV series “Las Vegas,” which was Caan’s first starring role on a TV series. When Goodman arrived on set, Caan treated him as a star, too.

“He let me use his trailer the whole time I was there,” Goodman said. “Let me tell you, there is a big difference between being a star, as James Caan was, and someone just visiting the show, which I was. He was a very gracious person as well as being a movie star. We have lost one of the greats.”

Aerosmith redoubles

Steven Tyler has completed the rehab stint that knocked Aerosmith’s reopening at Dolby Live back to September. The band was originally scheduled to return “Deuces Are Wild” in June. Tyler checked out of rehab, about a week ago, having stayed in treatment few days longer than the required 30 days.

The 74-year-old front man had entered a treatment facility after relapsing following foot surgery, with pain-management medication prescribed in his rehabilitation. He had achieved 10 years of unbroken sobriety prior to relapsing. A band rep issued a statement, “He’s doing extremely well and looking forward to being back on stage.” That happens Sept. 14, if the schedule holds.

Aerosmith’s reopening shuffle played out as founding drummer Joey Kramer took what the band termed “a leave of absence” for all of 2022. This was to attend to family concerns. On June 22, soon after Kramer’s departure went public, the musician’s wife, Linda, died at age 55. Her cause of death has not been reported.

In Kramer’s absence, the band’s longtime drum tech, John Douglas, is now performing the Vegas shows. Douglas also sat in for Kramer for several performances in 2019.

Paint me crazy …

But I’m still feeling an Adele announcement this month, tickets also on sale this month, and a November start at the Colosseum.

Cool Hang Alert

The charismatic crooner (and member of the Kats! JK Club) Jonathan Karrant is returning his “Sunday Funday” music series to Notoriety Live at 2 p.m. Sunday. Karrant’s latest release, “On and On,” reached No. 4 on Billboard’s jazz charts. He and his backing band cover the ’40s through ’90s.

Karrant has been honored as one of the country’s top 12 rising jazz vocalists by Downbeat magazine. We always recommend parking on Level P2 of Neonopolis, taking the lift (or, elevator) to the third floor. Tickets are $40 (not including fees); go to notorietylive.com for further information.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.