Story highlights Simpson could be released as early as October

The former football star has served nine years in prison in Nevada

(CNN) O.J. Simpson may be one step closer to becoming a free man.

Simpson will have a July 20 hearing before the Nevada Board of Parole to decide whether he will be released from prison, according to parole board spokesman David Smith. If paroled, he could be released as early as October, Smith said.

The former football star has served nine years in prison at Lovelock Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in the Nevada desert.

Perhaps the nation's most famous inmate, Simpson is serving a nine-to-33-year sentence for his role in a 2007 incident in a Las Vegas hotel room. He and an associate were convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon after prosecutors argued they tried to steal pieces of Simpson sports memorabilia at gunpoint.

At his 2008 sentencing, Simpson said he was trying to reclaim family heirlooms and other personal items that had been taken from him. He claims he didn't know his associates were armed.

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