Michael B. Jordan almost used a different name because of comparisons with the famous NBA player of the same name. The Sinners star confessed that kids at school teased him relentlessly and compared him to the NBA legend because of their names. However, he reflected in hindsight that being compared to the 62-year-old legend has been a blessing.
Michael B. Jordan almost changed his name due to this reason
At some point, Michael B. Jordan was keen on changing his name because of comparisons with the NBA star of the same name. In a January 4 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, he detailed his growing-up years and career. CBS correspondent Tracy Smith asked the 38-year-old actor if it had been a “problem” growing up to have the same name as the Chicago Bulls legend.
The Black Panther star candidly confessed, “Big time! I got teased so much, to the point where I almost changed my name.” However, he decided instead to use the teasing to fuel his personal ambitions. Jordan said, “It definitely made me want to be competitive and be good at. I wanted to be great at something, if not for anything else at that time, just to, like, feel like I had my own identity.”
Reflecting on his past experiences, he recalled that sharing the same name as the legendary NBA star “was a part of the alchemy that made me who I am today.” Interestingly, Jordan revealed that he shares his name with his own father, Michael A. Jordan, on last month’s Variety’s Actors on Actors.
At the time, Jesse Plemons asked the Creed star, “Who were your heroes?” Jordan replied, “I always feel bad, because I didn’t look up to a lot of people as a kid. My parents were my bar of how to do things. And I think having the name Michael Jordan as a kid affected things in a way that, in hindsight, I can talk about. But in the moment, I didn’t really understand.”
Michael B. Jordan shared, “Your name is important. It’s how you introduce yourself and how the world responds to you. But when there’s another guy out there who’s the guy, I think it created a healthy chip [on my shoulder]. Wanting to be competitive. Wanting your own identity in a way. I wanted to be great at something, and I didn’t know what it was going to be. I just wanted to be great at it.”
