Michael Jordan signs with Packers! The 6-foot-6 guard with a VERY famous name joins Green Bay’s practice squad… but at 315 pounds, bares no semblance to NBA great: ‘I’m actually pretty terrible at basketball’
- The younger Jordan shares his name, height and position as the NBA big
- He previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
There is only one Michael Jordan, NBA fans might say, but they would be wrong.
As anyone who keeps an eye on the Green Bay Packers’ daily transactions now knows, there is another Michael Jordan, who joined the team’s practice squad this week.
Like the 60-year-old NBA legend, 25-year-old Jordan is also listed as a 6-foot-1 guard, but that’s where the similarities end. At 315 pounds, the former Ohio State lineman weighs about 50 percent more than the older Jordan did at his age.
Of course, the name is hardly rare. “Jordan” is the 116th most popular last name in the United States, according to NameCensus.com, with “Michael” ranking fourth for men. Unsurprisingly, a LexisNexis search for the name “Michael Jordan” returned more than 3,000 results in the US alone.
There are also other famous Michael Jordans, including actor Michael B. Jordan. And in the early 2000s, ESPN published a popular ad that focused on a fictional middle-aged man, including the name and the daily problems he faced.
The younger Jordan shares his name, height and position as the NBA big
Quarterback Jim McMahon of the Chicago Bears and guard Michael Jordan of the Bulls
“Are you kidding me?” a disappointed limousine driver holding a “Michael Jordan” sign tells the man in the popular ad.
Thanks to his name, the NFL’s Jordan managed to get free pizza at Papa John’s during his college years at Ohio State.
“I posted it online under the name of ‘Michael Jordan,’” the former Buckeye – also known as “Mike” – said ESPN in 2021.
“Suddenly it says it’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he continued. “So I called the business and said I had placed an order for Michael Jordan. He started swearing at me. He said, “It’s Super Bowl Sunday. You can’t play with fake names like that.”
“Then I went in and showed him my ID, and I got free pizza for a week.”
Youngster Michael Jordan arrived on the Packers’ periphery this week and could find his way onto the 53-man roster if Green Bay continues to suffer injuries along the offensive line. Longtime Packers tackle David Bakhtiari has battled knee issues since 2018 and missed the team’s Week 1 win over the rival Chicago Bears.
He was ultimately drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
A young ‘Mike’ Jordan at the 2019 NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis
Actor Michael B. Jordan is one of more than 3,000 Americans with that first and last name
60-year-old Michael Jordan’s biggest connection to the NFL is his decades-long friendship with former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Ahmad Rashad, pictured right in 2010
He was relinquished in 2021 and later claimed by the Carolina Panthers, giving the city of Charlotte two Michael Jordans as the Basketball Hall of Famer owned the NBA’s Hornets at the time.
NFL’s Jordan was cut by the Panthers in August and has been looking for work ever since.
As for the origin of his famous nickname, the Michigan native told ESPN that he was actually named after his father, which is for the best since he is terrible at hoops.
“I’m actually pretty bad at basketball,” he said in 2021. “You can ask the guys in the locker room. They already know that. I’ve been terrible since I was a kid. I have to look at the ball when I dribble.’