Chris Tucker's LOVE for ‘Michael Jordan’ make him Return to Movies with Ben Affleck

Chris Tucker is back in the ‘AIR’.

For the first time in seven years, Chris Tucker is making a comeback on the big screen.

The actor, 51, explained to PEOPLE why he chose to make his movie comeback in the Ben Affleck-directed movie AIR while speaking at the AIR premiere for Nike on Saturday during SXSW in Austin.

Tucker revealed to PEOPLE that he had been asked to portray his friend Howard White, the vice president of the Jordan Brand.

"My agent called me and said they got a movie about something to do with Michael Jordan, and they want you to play this character called Howard White."

Chris Tucker did it for  Howard White, Affleck, Jordan and Basketball

"There wasn't no words, it wasn't no character, it wasn't there in the script. I said, 'Wait a minute, that's my friend.' So I called him [White] and found out that it was, he was in this movie and I said, 'Whoa man, but they said it's not much, but you know, I'm considering it cause it's you.' "

Tucker continued by describing how meeting Affleck, 50, and producer Matt Damon, together with his admiration for basketball great Michael Jordan, persuaded him to accept the part.

He continued, "Then I talked to Ben and Matt and they said, 'Hey man, we want you to come in, have fun. This is what we are doing. It's like making a movie with your friends'. And I said, 'Okay.' I love Michael Jordan. it's my friend Howard White. Ben said I can do whatever I want to do. I love the brand, the Jordan brand. Let's do it."

Tucker, whose most recent movie was Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk from 2016, spoke candidly about his enjoyment of the production and working with Affleck.

"I had a ball," he said. "I had a ball working with them and I called Ben The Player Coach cause he's an actor and director. So he knows how we roll, and he gives you that respect and that space to do your thing."