June 17, 1994, became one of the most bizarre days – if not the most bizarre day – in the history of sports in the United States. It happened some 21 years ago today.

Rangers Win Stanley Cup

It was a Friday and the day began with celebration as the New York Rangers paraded the Stanley Cup through the ticker-tape-strewn streets of Manhattan. Three days earlier, the Rangers beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final thanks to goals from Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, and Mark Messier – coupled with the clutch goaltending of Mike Richter.

The victory ended a drought of 54 years since the last time the Rangers won the NHL championship.

Goliath vs Goliath

That evening, street cleaners were still working on Fifth Avenue when the New York Knicks took the floor at Madison Square Garden to face the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. This was the pitting Patrick Ewing against Hakeem Olajuwon.

The series stood at two games each thanks to a Knicks 91-82 win two nights earlier at the Garden.

Nearly 100-million viewers were watching the game on TV.

White Bronco

But during the second quarter, something started happening. Knicks president Dave Checketts knew something was up – he just didn’t know what.

“A lot of people were not in their seats and I didn’t really know why. I couldn’t tell exactly what was happening, so I did what I did all the time, which was turn around in my chair to watch what was happening on the screen. I turned around and all I could see was this white Bronco.” – Dave Checketts

That white Bronco belonged to Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson and was being driven by O.J.’s friend and former teammate Al Cowlings. It was being driven at a slow rate of speed for a major highway – and it was being pursued by dozens of California Highway Patrol cars.

Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman had been brutally murdered five days earlier on June 12. Simpson had been identified as a suspect in the double-homicide and was supposed to turn himself in to L.A.P.D. – but didn’t. Instead, he choreographed this low-speed chase that captivated an entire nation of television viewers for a good two hours.

In the process, the real-life drama caused NBC to split-screen its coverage of the Knicks-Rockets game with the Bronco chase. The network transformed the situation into an instant reality show and Bob Costas was suddenly cast into the role of purveyor of information on both screens.

The Knicks led 48-37 at the half – but not many of the 20,000 people inside the Garden were paying attention. They – like a large percentage of the population – were enthralled by the Bronco chase.

The Knicks won 91-84 to take a three-to-two lead in the Finals.

O.J. eventually terminated the chase and surrendered.

Most of you are probably familiar with the trial that followed, the theatrics of defense attorneys Johnny Cochrane and Bob Kardasian, and the fact that O.J. was acquitted of all murder charges.

O.J. Simpson, however, eventually ran afoul of the law in 2008 and would up as Inmate #1027820 in the State of Nevada Prison System.

While some of the most avid NBA fans would have to struggle to recall the results of the 1994 NBA Finals, hardly anyone who watched that Bronco chase will ever forget it.

Barry Bowe is the author of Born to Be Wild, 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant, and 12 Best Eagles QBs.