On June 17, 1994, sports fans across the country tuned in to watch O.J. Simpson lead cops on a slow-speed car chase around Los Angeles. If you were one of those fans, you may have missed Arnold Palmer playing his last round at a U.S. Open in Oakmont, Pa., the FIFA World Cup kicking off in Chicago, the Rangers celebrating on Broadway, Donald Fehr staring down the baseball owners or even Patrick Ewing desperately pursuing a long evasive championship in the Garden.
Director Brett Morgen shines the light on the day’s events in his 30 for 30 documentary June 17th, 1994, but here are some other sports news tidbits that took a backseat to the Simpson media coverage:
- Moses Malone, 39, was waived by the 76ers. He played as a backup in the 93-94 season, averaging 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 11.2 minutes. In 18 pro seasons he was league MVP three times, and played for Buffalo, Houston, Washington, Atlanta and Milwaukee. His 18 seasons represented the second longest NBA career to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He stood third on the scoring list with 27,360 points.
- New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani prepared to make the welcoming remarks at NYC’s Gay Games – as he attempts to smooth a strained relationship with the gay community.
- WBC Heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis and former champion Riddick Bowe announced a match for late fall.
- Forrest Gregg quit as SMU athletic director to take a job as coach of the new Canadian Football League team in Shreveport, La.
June 17th, 1994, premieres tonight at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Watch the trailer here.
