Michael Jordan on NASCAR, basketball and the one title he won't claim

4 days ago 15

Michael Jordan is bringing his title mindset to NASCAR, saying he's "cursed with this competitory gene" that keeps him chasing victories — and change.

Jordan, co-founder of the NASCAR squad 23XI Racing, told Gayle King that his passionateness for the athletics traces backmost to his precocious father, James, a "diehard mechanic."

"He utilized to enactment connected each the vicinity cars… helium would hole our cars. We would ne'er nonstop our car to the service. He would fig retired a mode to hole it. So I deliberation it gravitated into his emotion for cars. And helium likes driving fast. My ma likes driving fast," Jordan told King aft the brace met up astatine the Phoenix Raceway for a "CBS Sunday Morning" interview.

From rumor to reality

Jordan founded 23XI Racing successful 2020 with legendary operator and three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin — a concern Hamlin says began with a rumor that unexpectedly turned into reality.

"I'll ne'er forget. I saw an nonfiction that wasn't true. Says, 'Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan are lookin' to acquisition a NASCAR team,'" helium recalled. "I saw the article, sent it to him. He says, 'Not real, but if you privation to marque it existent fto maine know.'"

And from there, a concern was born.

The Hall of Fame hoops subordinate changed 1 sport. Now, he's changing another.

NASCAR has been privately owned and operated since 1948 by the France family. In 2016, NASCAR introduced a charter system, a franchise-like exemplary that guaranteed 36 teams introduction into each Cup Series contention and promised them "new gross opportunities."

Jordan called the strategy "lopsided" and "wrong," filing an antitrust suit successful October 2024 with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. He alleged NASCAR was being tally similar a monopoly, controlling which tracks were used, what car supplies were allowed, and giving teams restricted, constricted charters to vie successful races.

Landmark settlement

In December 2025, NASCAR reached a landmark colony successful the antitrust case, giving each teams evergreen charters with improved terms. Jordan called it a gamechanger.

"This result gives each parties the flexibility and assurance to proceed delivering unforgettable racing moments for our fans, which has ever been our highest precedence since the athletics was founded successful 1948. We worked intimately with contention teams and tracks to make the NASCAR charter strategy successful 2016, and it has proven invaluable to their operations and to the prime of racing crossed the Cup Series. Today's statement reaffirms our committedness to preserving and enhancing that value, ensuring our fans proceed to bask the precise champion of banal car racing for generations to come," NASCAR president and CEO Jim France said successful a statement astatine the time.

"This combat was needed, you know? And I was going to combat adjacent harder. And if I got kicked out, astatine slightest I made radical alert that alteration needs to hap successful the sport, you know? And I deliberation it's lopsided. And, you know, truthful I went successful with the thought that I don't attraction — adjacent if I lost, I won," Jordan said.

He didn't lose. Still, winning doesn't travel easy.

"It comes with sacrifice," Hamlin said.

"Yes. It's infectious. You know, you win, everybody's-- you got an unbelievable building. Everybody's happy. When you lose, there's a sadness wrong the building. Which is indispensable due to the fact that erstwhile you suffer you privation to beryllium sad," Jordan added.

F23XI Racing operator Tyler Reddick, who began the play with 3 wins successful a row, says having Jordan arsenic a brag "[motivates] the hellhole retired of us."

"I mean, you're acceptable to tally done a wall, archetypal off," Reddick joked. "But past two, you know, proceeding a champion, a winner, a fable archer you these things, and it's like, 'Oh wow, you know, we're not that acold off. A fewer adjustments and we're close there.'"

Life aft basketball

While Jordan erstwhile said helium wanted a quieter beingness aft retiring from basketball, helium acknowledges NASCAR hasn't precisely kept him retired of the spotlight.

"It's a quieter beingness wherever I'm not truly the show, adjacent though arsenic of late, you know, I've been successful the forefront … a batch much than I astir apt anticipated. But I deliberation the athletics needs it to immoderate degree, and my squad needs it, and I privation them to spot the passionateness that I person for winning and for the-- you know, being a portion of the team," helium said.

While he's been making headlines for his relation successful NASCAR, Jordan said it's inactive not the aforesaid arsenic erstwhile helium was playing hoops successful Chicago.

"But it's thing that I deliberation keeps maine alive," helium added.

During his clip with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan said the value of his fame often felt similar a burden, arsenic helium worked to unrecorded up to the expectations that came with being the look of the sport.

"The load of surviving a definite way, you know? Living up to-- trying to support immoderate everybody's perspectives is for you oregon was for you. That is simply a burden, you know? And it's a batch of radical that has to endure it. And there's a definite play of clip that you tin spell done that, and past astatine immoderate constituent successful clip you say, 'I'm bushed of…doing that'" Jordan said.

However, Jordan admits there's inactive a "huge piece" of him that wants to prime a hoops up.

"But I've compensated that-- that feeling done NASCAR oregon done sportfishing … But that impulse to dream, that if I privation I tin inactive prime up a hoops and … I would emotion to bash that. Believe me," helium said.

Jordan is present 63 and wears galore titles, though there's 1 helium would similar not to hold: G.O.A.T.

"There's nary specified happening arsenic G.O.A.T., you know, to me," Jordan said. "It's not to me. You know, it's lone due to the fact that I think, you know, we are transcended from different people, different athletes. We larn from different athletes. We advancement the crippled arsenic we determination further. To accidental that 1 is amended than the different is not truly right."

Jordan said helium wouldn't alteration a happening astir his beingness oregon career, embracing some his mistakes and the lessons they brought, and crediting the relationships he's built on the mode arsenic portion of what shaped who helium is today.

"If it ends today, you know, I volition person a grin connected my face, 100%," Jordan said.

Watch much of Gayle King's interrogation with Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin and operator Tyler Reddick Monday and Tuesday connected "CBS Mornings."

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