Sports
Reliving June 17, 1994, when OJ Simpson's car chase interrupted the NBA Finals in an already wild sports day
A Pro Football Hall of Famer turned controversial American figure, O.J. Simpson died Tuesday at the age of 76 following a battle with cancer.
Simpson was a household in the United States long before the 1990s, and it all began when he won the Heisman Trophy in 1968.
He went on to have one of the most storied NFL careers, becoming the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in 1973 (that was in a 14-game season, and his 143.1 rushing yards per game that year remains an NFL record), and then going into Canton in 1985.
But less than a decade later, Simpson was the subject of what would be known as the trial of the century. He was on trial accused of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The two were killed on June 12, 1994, but five days later, one of the oddest events in American history would unfold.
OJ Simpson’s car chase interrupted the 1994 NBA Finals (Getty Images)
June 17, 1994, marked the day Simpson was in the back of the infamous white Ford Bronco, driven by Al Cowlings, in a low-speed chase with authorities that was viewed by nearly 100 million people.
But, that wasn’t the only major sporting event happening that day.
It was a Friday – it was also U.S. Open weekend. Arnold Palmer, aged 64 and playing in the tournament for the first time in 11 years, was on the outside looking in at the cut line at Oakmont Country Club in western Pennsylvania. All signs pointed to it being his final round in the U.S. Open, which became the case – he received a rousing standing ovation walking up to the 18th green.
During that round, though, there was a huge party in Manhattan, as the New York Rangers were celebrating their first Stanley Cup victory since 1940 with their parade down the Canyon of Heroes. Madison Square Garden had been the place to be, as later that night, the New York Knicks would host the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. It also was the opening of the 1994 World Cup in Chicago.
The Rangers’ parade and Palmer’s round had ended before the chase began. The Knicks-Rockets game had tipped off, as well, as it wasn’t until around 6:45 p.m. PT when the Bronco was spotted (the game tipped off roughly 40 minutes earlier). In fact, Robert Kardashian read what was perceived as Simpson’s suicide note less than an hour before tipoff.
A Ford Bronco carrying OJ Simpson (hidden in rear seat) is reportedly driven by Simpson’s former teammate Al Cowlings, chased by dozens of police cars during an hours long pursuit through Los Angeles area freeways on June 17, 1994. (Sam Mircovich/Reuters)
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The Bronco chase came as Simpson did not surrender to police as expected, causing havoc and leading Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti to officially deem Simpson a “fugitive of justice.” But once cameras found “The Juice,” it trumped the basketball game.
The series was tied 2-2, but with 6:39 to go in the first half, NBC cut from the Finals to the chase. Throughout the rest of the night, the two events would be broadcast simultaneously, with the game being broadcast in a small box in the corner. To this day, some Knicks and Rockets fans are still wondering what they missed when NBC cut from the game.
Simpson, who was set to be charged with the murders, had a gun to his head throughout the car ride, with police begging him not to harm himself and throw the gun out of the car. The 405 was filled with pulled-over cars for miles just hoping to get a glimpse of Simpson, who eventually surrendered at his home.
Motorists stop and wave as police cars pursue the Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase June 17, 1994 on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, California. Simpson’s friend Cowlings eventually drove Simpson home, with Simpson ducked under the back passenger seat, to Brentwood where he surrendered after a stand-off with police. (Jean-Marc Giboux/Liaison)
NFL COMMUNITY REACTS AFTER OJ SIMPSON, 76, DIES FOLLOWING CANCER BATTLE
At almost the same time, the Knicks won the game, 91-84, but elated Knicks fans had to squint at the TV to see the team’s biggest win since 1973.
The Rockets won the next two games at home, though, to win the title, and Ernie Els won the U.S. Open that Sunday.
June 17, 1994 was just the beginning of what became the arguably biggest trial ever. Simpson was eventually found not guilty of the murders, but found financially liable in a civil court later on.
O.J. Simpson wearing the blood stained gloves found by Los Angeles Police and entered into evidence in Simpson ‘s murder trial on June 15, 1995. (STR New/Reuters)
The day’s events are featured in an ESPN “30 for 30,” simply titled, “June 17, 1994,” a documentary film that features no narration or interviews – just clips from the day’s events. Suffice to say…imagine social media were around.
As director Brett Morgen put it, “Just about every emotion that one relates to sports took place on that day,” and that could not be more true.
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Russell Wilson has had his share of ups and downs in his NFL career.
He helped the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. But the last few years of his career arguably did some damage to his legacy as he’s spent the last three seasons with three different teams.
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New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 9, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Wilson is still on the free-agent market as he looks to latch on to a new team for 2026. However, former NFL star Aqib Talib implored Wilson to hang up the cleats.
“Do your TV thing, Russ. It’s over with, man. Once you’ve got to decide, do I even want to play?” Talib said on “The Arena: Gridiron.” “I think you don’t really want to play. I hate when guys get to the later part of their career and then they start doing the bounce-around thing and they’re not going to win. There was no chip in New York. That’s just going to be another stop on your resume.”
Wilson reportedly garnered some interest from NFL teams.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson stands on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Oct. 26, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
He told the New York Post that the New York Jets were one of them.
Wilson also was reportedly a candidate to take Matt Ryan’s spot on CBS’ “The NFL Today” after Ryan left to take a front office job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Wilson has 46,966 passing yards and 353 passing touchdowns in 205 career games, but the 2025 season with the New York Giants was one to forget.
Wilson started three games and made some bizarre decisions in a loss against the Chiefs. Jaxson Dart was named the starting quarterback. As he came in to take a few snaps while Dart was being checked for a concussion, Wilson was booed.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 19, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
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Should he end up signing with another team, Wilson will be entering his age-38 season.
A lot has changed since Jacori Perry attended Morningside High School.
Perry is now a renowned artist who goes by the names Mr. Ace and AiseBorn.
The school is now known as Inglewood High School United.
And the lecture hall on that campus now features a large, ornate mural of a soccer ball being grasped by the hands of two people — freshly painted by the 2004 Morningside graduate as the city of Inglewood prepares to host eight World Cup games at SoFi Stadium starting next month.
Local artist Mr. Ace works on his mural at Inglewood High School United on May 11. The artists, whose real name is Jacori Perry, attended the school when it was known as Morningside High more than two decades ago.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
“If you told me that I would be back here painting one of the walls on this campus when I was in high school, I don’t think that I necessarily would have foreseen it,” Mr. Ace said as he was putting the finishing touches on his mural last week. “So I’m a little in amazement about just the way life works in that sense.”
He was one of several Los Angeles-based artists to participate in a Road to World Cup Community Day last month at Inglewood High United. Many of the artists — including Juan Pablo Reyes (“JP murals”), Michelle Ruby Guerrero (“Mr. B Baby”) and Angel Acordagoitia — sketched designs on portable panels (12-feet by 8-feet) and picnic tables for community members to paint.
The picnic tables will remain at the high school in front of Mr. Ace’s mural. The mobile murals will be placed throughout LAX to welcome visitors arriving for the World Cup.
Kathryn Schloessman, CEO of the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee, said in a news release that the event was “just one example of how the energy of the World Cup can be felt in neighborhoods across our region.”
“Students, artists, and volunteers came together to create a work of art that will live on well beyond the end of the tournament,” Schloessman said. “It’s a reflection of the creativity, diversity, and community pride that makes our region so special as we prepare to host the world for FIFA World Cup 2026.”
Community members were encouraged to take part in the painting process, no matter their skill level.
“We made it easy enough for people that have zero experience to a proficient level of experience, for them to all be involved,” said Reyes, who designed and helped paint two mural panels and three tables. “We did the sketch, and then I tried to dab a little bit of color — whatever color is supposed to be there, I dabbed a little bit of color right there, so they would have a guide. …
Students and community members help paint a mural panel during a Road to World Cup Community Day event May 2 at Inglewood High School.
(Dawn M. Burkes / Los Angeles Times)
“I was right there, kind of supervising, making sure that everything went as planned. And if anybody has questions, they’re more than welcome to let me know about them. But, yeah, it’s pretty easy for them to kind of be involved and feel that sense of ownership and have a sense of pride that, ‘Yeah, I was part of that mural-creation process.’ It’s a rich experience for them.”
Acordagoitia sketched several table-top designs for the public to paint at the event.
“They did great,” he said of the community members. “They helped a lot. They were asking questions. They got all the other colors correct. So, yeah, they were excited. A lot of kids were excited to see the live painting, because now kids are used to being on their phones. So that was a great experience for them.”
Acordagoitia also opted to paint a mural panel on his own because “it was a little more technical,” involving portraits of his 8-year-old son, a nephew and a friend.
“I wanted to focus more on the youth because that’s really our future,” he said. “So that’s, that’s the main thing about the mural, just about the kids, soccer, culture, community. It’s exciting for me, because I grew up playing soccer and to include soccer with art, it’s just a dream come true.”
Guerrero said “the community was a big help in filling in all the background colors that I need in order to build the detail and layers” on the two mural panels she designed.
“My whole style is based on culture. And I think that there’s a connection there with the World Cup and how I feel like it brings together all the culture and just, like, celebration,” Guerrero said. “It kind of goes hand in hand with the type of work I do, because my stuff is really festive, celebrating culture. And just as an L.A.-based artist, I think the collaboration made sense.”
The four artists also took part in another Road to World Cup Community Day in downtown L.A. at Gloria Molina Grand Park on March 14. At that event, the artists sketched designs on large sculptures shaped like soccer balls and an oversized picnic table, also for community members to paint.
While Mr. Ace opted to paint his permanent mural at Inglewood High School United on his own, he was sure to include the community theme into his work.
“The idea was really centered around just creating something that was community-based — something that represented the World Cup but also represented some sense of community,” he said. “And so what I did was try to create something that was symbolic, very direct in terms of its relationship to soccer and figuring out through that how to create something simple that [brings] into that a sense of community. And that’s how I landed on the two hands holding the soccer ball.”
Local artist Mr. Ace works on his World Cup-themed mural at Inglewood High School United on May 11.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Back when he was a student on that campus, Mr. Ace said he was always involved in art and knew he wanted a career as an artist. He struggled to come up with the right words to describe how it felt being back there creating a work of art to be shared with the students, all of the community and everyone who happens to see it on the way to a World Cup match.
“I guess there’s no words to really describe it,” he said. “I think if any artist gets the opportunity to paint at their own high school — especially if they’ve been doing large-scale works around the city, the country or the world — I think that is a little touching. When it’s attached to something like the World Cup … you know, a large part of my childhood was spent in Inglewood, so coming from my circumstances and life, I think it’s even more intriguing.”
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The best Indianapolis 500 finish could be subjective, depending on which driver a fan was rooting for to win.
It certainly is in the eye of the beholder.
So take this list for what it’s worth. One view of the 10 best finishes in Indianapolis 500 history. Of course, it skews to more recent decades when the runs have come a little faster and the finishes have had a tendency to be a little closer.
We’ll add one each day to this list of fantastic finishes ahead of the 110th running of the Indy 500 on May 24 (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX).
10. Ericsson outduels O’Ward (2022)
After a red flag, Marcus Ericsson held off Pato O’Ward in a two-lap shootout. The shootout didn’t last two laps, though, as there was a crash on the final lap behind them. Ericsson had a comfortable lead when the red flag came out for a crash with four laps to go, a situation where in past Indianapolis 500 races, they likely would have ended the race under caution with Ericsson as the winner.
9. Foyt survives chaos (1967)
How does a driver who wins by two laps end up on this list? It’s because the win nearly didn’t happen on the last lap. A big crash with cars and debris littering the frontstretch just ahead of Foyt as he came to the checkered flag forced him to navigate through the wreckage for the win.
8. Sato can’t catch Franchitti (2012)
This was one of those finishes where the leader holds on for the win, but boy did the leader have to hold on. Takuma Sato tried to pass Dario Franchitti early on the final lap but to no avail and Franchitti sped off for the victory. This was one of those Indy 500s that made you hold your breath all the way to the checkered flag.
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