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NBA legend Michael Jordan’s new love for sports will play out on a racetrack instead of a court.
But the competitive juices he’s known for continue to flow, as his 23XI Racing team sits atop the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series standings thanks to the four wins Tyler Reddick has already recorded in seven starts.
Jordan made an appearance on “CBS Mornings,” where co-host Gayle King talked about her competitive spirit now in NASCAR. Jordan’s response was that he is “cursed” with the need to strive for greatness, no matter the task at hand.
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NBA Hall of Famer and 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan celebrates after Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Chumba Casino Toyota, won his third consecutive race to begin the 2026 NASCAR season by winning the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of the Americas on March 1, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
“I think I’m cursed,” Jordan said. “I’m cursed with this competitive gene that makes everything I do from a competitive perspective, you know? And in some ways, that keeps me young. It keeps me thinking aggressively and positively. It helps me understand everything I’m involved in and connected to.”
Jordan told King that even the minuscule task of getting ready in the morning becomes competitive when he knows his wife, Yvette, is involved.
MICHAEL JORDAN’S NASCAR DRIVER MAKES HISTORY WITH THIRD CONSECUTIVE VICTORY TO START 2026 SEASON
“I have to shower and get into the bathroom before she comes in so she doesn’t slow down my time and I can get to the golf course on time,” Jordan explained. “I have to leave the kids. I have all these other things I have to do.”
Of course, Jordan’s competitiveness has been on display since his days at UNC before becoming an NBA legend with the Chicago Bulls. He doesn’t know exactly when that need to be competitive arose, but he knows it was in childhood.
NBA Hall of Famer and 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan watches during the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 8, 2026 in Avondale, Arizona. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
“I don’t know. I think my appetite to prove as a kid created this competitive thing inside of me that has transcended and taken over everything I do,” he said. “And I think that’s a good trait because some people don’t have it.
“Some people get right to the cusp of what success really means and can never get over that hump. I think it helps to evaluate each stage of success. Believe me, I’ve had my share of failures in terms of stages.”
For 23XI Racing, co-owned by veteran NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, it wasn’t an immediate success. But through hard work and determination, 23XI Racing has become a top team.
Because of the success and slow rise to get to this point in NASCAR, Jordan can’t shake that competitive bug.
NBA Hall of Famer and 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan celebrates with a crew member of the No. 45 Xfinity Toyota after driver Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on March 22, 2026 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
“Once I get over it, it’s contagious,” he said. “It’s that feeling that you’ve accomplished something. I’ve reached that hill. It’s a long road to get to that hill.
“I think every time you see me dizzy in the pit, it’s because we’re doing it. We definitely are. We’re starting to make a difference in a sport that no one thought we could make a difference in.”
