“Being Teased and Picked On”: Michael B. Jordan Reveals How Sharing a Name with Michael Jordan Motivated Him

Michael B. Jordan gained fame slowly but gradually in his career. His unwavering will to never give up until he achieved what he had set out for made him stand out. Sharing his name with arguably the greatest player to ever grace the game of basketball turned out to be a bane at first. It wasn’t until the actor took it upon himself to live up to that name and make something of himself in another field.

Michael B. Jordan recently made an appearance on the Boardroom Podcast. The award-winning actor was interviewed by popular YouTuber, Jay Shetty. While on the podcast, the 37-year-old went on to reveal how he was picked on for sharing his name with the NBA legend.

“That’s been something I’ve always felt, since having the name Michael Jordan and understanding that there’s another guy out there named Michael Jordan that was the best ever to do something. And being teased and picked on about that made me not wanting to play sports. But then it was like, ‘Nah, I’m actually gonna make sure I’m gonna compete.” 

The Fantastic Four fame actor went on to add that he had the zeal for making his own name and people knowing him not only for being named after MJ.

“I’m gonna be somebody that it’s not gonna be, ‘Oh his name is this.’ I’m gonna be somebody that, it’s not gonna be, ‘Oh, his name is this.’ It’s gonna be, ‘Oh no, but he can play’. Or ‘Oh no, he has something about him’, something that is formidable, that is above average, that is unique to him. And it gave me a healthy chip.”

 

 

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Michael B. Jordan used the negativity that surrounded him into something positive. Being picked on for sharing his name with the Chicago Bulls legend made the actor use that as motivation to perform at a high level in something other than sports. 

The Black Panther actor also went on to talk about how he used that as a healthy chip to be competitive and it ended up working wonders for him. He described how people would give up on the struggle when they were actually close to what they had set out to achieve.

But that is where Michael B. Jordan was different. He stayed on the path and kept trying till he got what he had set out for in the first place. Sharing the name with one of the most competitive athletes in history also played a role in the actor’s resilience to never give up. And based on how he did not give in, the entire world eventually got to see him make it big on the silver screen.

Michael B. Jordan yet to meet Michael Jordan

Having the name Michael Jordan and being teased for sharing that name, it would’ve been a no-brainer that Michael B. Jordan must’ve met the Chicago Bulls legend eventually in the early part of his career.

However, back in 2021, Michael B. Jordan revealed that he only had the privilege to meet the Hall of Famer for about 10 seconds at an All-Star weekend. The actor described meeting him while he was passing by him in the arena.

He mentioned shaking hands with him and how the basketball legend did not have much of an idea about who he was. Even the host was surprised how the two hadn’t met under proper circumstances yet. But hopefully, the two Jordans might have a formal sitdown with one another in the future.