Have Michael B. Jordan and Michael Jordan ever been in the same room together? The Creed actor offers his answer.
Has actor Michael B. Jordan ever met NBA legend Michael Jordan? It’s an intriguing question that’s surely crossed your mind at some fleeting moment in the past. Actor and Hollywood heartthrob Michael B. Jordan has dozens of notable film and television appearances, from his early breakout role in HBO’s The Wire to powerful film performances in Black Panther and Just Mercy. In the year 2020 alone, Jordan was named to multiple high-profile lists, including Time Magazine’s the 100 Most Influential People and The New York Times’ 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century, in addition to receiving the highly coveted title of People’s Sexiest Man Alive. And he’s done it all sharing the same name of one of the most well-known celebrities in the world.
The 34-year old actor is already well-accomplished and steadily reaching new heights in the realms of acting and celebrity, but one fan question remained unanswered for years: Has actor Michael B. Jordan ever met NBA legend Michael Jordan?
On April 26th, Michael B. Jordan appeared on Rich Eisen’s daily sports radio show, The Rich Eisen Show, for an interview in which the big question was finally popped. Eisen, always striving to connect the acting and sports worlds, and knowing full well the strange curiosity that drives fans, asked directly, “Have you, Michael B. Jordan, met Michael J. Jordan?”
The short and potentially disappointing answer Jordan offered is “Nope,” although he opened up vaguely about their paths crossing some unspecified amount of years ago:
“I think at the time I met him it was at an All-Star event, and it was just in passing. I shook his hand and it was, like, literally less than 10 seconds in passing. I don’t even think he knew who I was at the time.”
Currently, it’s difficult to imagine 6-time NBA champion and Chicago Bulls legend Michael J. Jordan being unaware of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars who happens to share the same name. This puzzled host Eisen as well, who followed up by asking, “How has that (meeting) not happened yet?”
Jordan, in good spirits, shared: “I don’t know, I think we’ve gotta figure that out. I think the powers that be…I don’t know, we’ve gotta collab on something.”
Michael B. Jordan began his professional acting career in 1999 with single episode roles in 2 television series, Cosby and The Sopranos. His first film role followed in 2001 when he was featured in the Keanu Reeves vehicle Hardball. In 2002, he gained more attention and praise with the small but pivotal role of Wallace in the first season of HBO’s The Wire. And let’s not forget he played Haddie Braverman’s first boyfriend on Parenthood. Since then, it requires a catalog to list off his accomplishments in acting and the subsequent praise he’s received.
He has several anticipated upcoming projects, from a starring role as John Clark in Without Remorse, based on the Tom Clancy book, to his directorial debut with Creed III, a sequel to Creed II in which he’ll also reprise his starring role as boxer Donnie Creed; That film is set to be released in November 2022.
Any meeting or collaboration between the accomplished actor and the revered NBA superstar is up in the air, but it sounds as though only Michael J. Jordan’s willingness is needed. Michael B. expressed being fully on board with a potential project or meeting. That said, there will be plenty of opportunities to see the actor in upcoming films, and his directorial debut with Creed III isn’t far off. The full interview with Michael B. on The Rich Eisen Show is available here.
