Sharing almost the same name as basketball legend Michael Jordan should be a cool thing, but that initially wasn’t the case for award-winning actor Michael B. Jordan.
During a January 4 interview with Tracy Smith on CBS Sunday Morning, the Sinners actor touched on a variety of topics, including a time in his life when he almost changed his name.
Jordan, 38, opened up about that period when Smith asked him if he “grew up playing sports” and if “the name Michael Jordan” was a problem.
“Big time!” Jordan responded. “I got teased so much, to the point where I almost changed my name.”
The Black Panther star contemplated mainly using his middle name, which is Bakari. “It definitely made me want to be competitive and be good at – I wanted to be great at something, if not for nothing else at that time just to, like, feel like I had my own identity,” Jordan said.
When Smith said that “there could be another Michael Jordan who could make his mark,” Jordan responded in the affirmative.
“Correct,” Jordan said. “That was a part of the alchemy that made me who I am today.”
Bakari is a Swahili name which means “noble promise.” Smith asked him if he felt that he had been an embodiment of his name.
“I feel like I’m walking in that,” Jordan responded, “and will continue to do so, big time. We got a lot more things to do, you know? We’re just getting started.”
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In 2023, Jordan made the news when he “came after” a reporter who used to tease him back in school, Face2Face Africa reported at the time.
Though the red-carpet reporter, Lore’l, previously admitted to teasing him when they were schoolmates, Jordan made light of their encounter when she interviewed him during a premiere event for the Creed III movie, Complex reported at the time.
Lore’l, who previously hosted the Morning Hustle, started the interview by congratulating Jordan and disclosing they were once schoolmates in New Jersey. “We go way back, all the way back to Chad Science [Academy] in Newark,” she said.
Jordan then sarcastically replied by reminding his former schoolmate of something that was said about him on a podcast.
“Oh yeah, I was the corny kid, right?” Jordan asked. Lore’l then responded with laughter and claimed she was “misquoted.” But Jordan, who was once named the “Sexiest Man Alive”, reiterated that he heard her refer to him as “corny.”
“No you did not hear me say that! I said we used to make fun of the name,” Lore’l insisted in her response. “But yeah, he is obviously killing things out here,” she added before asking him about Creed III and the rumor about a project he’s going to do with Will Smith. Lore’l concluded the interview by telling the actor that he was “not corny anymore.”
The “corny” reference was made during a discussion Lore’l was having with Eva Marcille and Dominique da Diva on the Undressing Room podcast, MadameNoire reported. The 38-year-old became a topic of discussion because of a Valentine’s Day gift that he gave to his ex-girlfriend, Lori Harvey. The actor reportedly rented an aquarium for the romantic day and also gifted his former sweetheart Hermès stock certificates.
Dominique said Jordan’s gesture did not come as a surprise, as the actor seemed to be “a nice, corny guy.” Lore’l then chimed in and spoke about her former schoolmate.
“You know what’s so crazy? I went to school with Michael B. Jordan at a point in life,” she started. “… And to be honest with you, we teased him all the damn time because his name was Michael Jordan. Let’s start there, and he was no Michael Jordan. And he also would come to school with a headshot. We lived in Newark, that’s the hood. We would make fun of him like, ‘What you gonna do with your stupid headshot!?’ And now look at him!”
