Before being the Michael B. Jordan who captivated audiences in projects like “Sinners” and “Creed,” and earning his place as one of the “sexiest men alive,” the actor was a young boy growing up in New Jersey who just so happened to share a name with one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
In a recent interview with CBS, the “Sinners” actor revealed that growing up with the name Michael Jordan led to a lot of teasing from his peers, to the point where he almost changed his name.
When asked about whether his name caused any problems growing up, Jordan shared. “Big time. I got teased so much, to the point where I almost changed my name. I was gonna be Bakari…Bakari Jordan.”
Jordan, who grew up playing sports, explained how often people would ask him if he thought he was Michael Jordan in reference to his NBA All-Star, Basketball Hall of Fame inducted namesake. While he says the jokes weren’t “too creative,” Jordan explained how they fueled his work ethic.
“It definitely made me want to be competitive. I wanted to be great at something. If not for nothing else at that time, just to feel like I had my own identity, you know, in a world that was so…MJ was Mike, you know?”
Having starred and directed a series of critically acclaimed films, its safe to say Jordan achieved his goal. However, just as his name Michael Jordan reflects the legendary athlete, his middle name Bakari, reportedly means “noble promise,” or “promising.”
“That was a part of the alchemy that made me who I am today,” he shared. “I’m walking in that [noble promise] and will continue to do so. We have a lot more things to do. We’re just getting started.”
