Michael B. Jordan Reveals He Nearly Changed His Name After Being Teased as a Kid
Long before Michael B. Jordan became a marquee name in Hollywood, his name was already doing the most.
In a recent interview with CBS, the “Sinners" star opened up about how relentless the teasing was as a kid, admitting there was a moment when he seriously considered changing his name altogether.
“Big time,” Jordan said when asked if it caused problems.
“I got teased so much, to the point where I almost changed my name. I was gonna be Bakari… Bakari Jordan.”
At the time, the future actor was heavily into sports, which only invited more commentary from classmates who couldn’t resist asking if he thought he was that Michael Jordan.
The jokes, he said, weren’t exactly clever, but they were constant.
Still, instead of shrinking under the pressure, the “Creed” star found motivation in it. The comparisons pushed him to compete, to stand out, and to carve out an identity that was entirely his own.
“It definitely made me want to be competitive,” he explained.
“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?”
Bakari, which he nearly made his first, is often translated to mean “noble promise” or “promising,” a meaning the “Black Panther” actor now embraces fully.
Reflecting on his journey, he credited that early friction as part of the foundation that shaped him.
“That was a part of the alchemy that made me who I am today,” he said.
“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.”
Watch the interview here.
