Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most important days in sports history. Among the events of that Friday: Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the start of the World Cup hosted by the United States, Arnold Palmer’s final US Open round, and the New York Rangers’ parade following their Stanley Cup win. But 6/17/1994 is arguably more remembered for the famous O.J. Simpson Ford Bronco chase through Los Angeles. The chase garnered so much attention that NBC would periodically provide updates on Simpson while it was broadcasting Game 5 between the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets. New York would win that matchup 91-84 in Madison Square Garden, but the Rockets took the NBA title in seven games.

The 1994 World Cup was also memorable for soccer fans. When it was awarded the hosting rights in 1988, the United States had not played in a World Cup game since 1950 (they would qualify for the 1990 Finals in Italy). Two of the biggest stories from the U.S.-hosted Cup (neither of them on June 17) were the end of Diego Maradona’s playing career, and the hosts’ 2-1 win over Colombia, in which Andrés Escobar scored an own goal. Escobar would be murdered the next month in his hometown of Medellín, Colombia.

In 2010, ESPN aired a documentary (as part of its 30 for 30 series) about the iconic day. What’s unique about this documentary is that director Brett Morgen only used archival footage from each of the events, without any voiceover narration or sit-down interviews. Here is a clip from ESPN’s YouTube channel, showing part of the Ford Bronco chase:

What do you remember about June 17, 1994? Leave a comment if you’d like to share your thoughts!