"Mom, what's my name"- Controversial superstar OJ Simpson once revealed to Michael Jordan that he didn't know his entire name
In 1998, Michael Jordan made a guest appearance on 'Greatest Sports Legends'. Jordan interviewed football legend OJ Simpson and talked about his illustrious NFL career. However, before digging down deep into the details of Simpson's career, MJ asked where the origin of his name OJ came from.
OJ Simpson told a hilarious story about how he found out about his real name when he was a kid. Simpson told the NBA legend that the only time he found out about his first name was when he was in the third grade. His teacher was calling OJ by his real name, Orenthal.
The soon-to-be football legend was clueless at the time and didn't respond to his teacher, as he was used to being called OJ.
"I think I was in the third grade... The teacher was calling out your name and want you to sit down," Simpson said. "They'd call out every name, and I was still standing there. ... She went through the list and says 'Are you Orenthal?', and I said 'No.' She said 'What's your last name?', and I said 'Simpson.'
OJ continued:
"She says 'You're Orenthal!' Then I kind of sense that maybe there something I didn't know. When I got home that day, I said: 'Mom, what's my name?' Because all my life they'd call me OJ.
When OJ Simpson nearly convinced Michael Jordan to sign with a different shoe company
In 1984, Michael Jordan was the new up-and-rising star in the NBA. Many brands, including Nike, wanted Jordan to represent them. Eventually, "His Airness" decided to sign with the "Checks", but that nearly didn't happen. Before Jordan signed with Nike, Spot-Bilt matched the shoe company's offer to the rising star.
Apart from the lucrative offer, NFL legend OJ Simpson also played a part in convincing MJ to sign with Spot-Bilt. Simpson was the company's face at the time, which made them believe that the football star could work his way around Jordan. The director of The Last Dance documentary, Jason Hehir, told the story of what went down behind the contract offer.
Hehir shared:
"Michael Jordan came this close to being with Spot-Bilt because the spokesman for Spot-Bilt at the time was another athlete who had broken and transcended some racial bounds, a guy named O. J. Simpson. The kid out of Carolina is the next me. Go get him.”
He continued:
"So they matched Nike’s offer, but they couldn’t match the market. They couldn’t promise David Falk that they would market Michael the way that Nike would, and that ultimately is what put that Nike deal over the top financially for them.”