Michael Jordan has spent his life conquering challenges, from rising as an iconic NBA player to becoming a resilient entrepreneur.The “Flu Game” during the 1997 NBA Finals, where he played despite severe illness, remains legendary, as does his perseverance to claim six championships despite a turbulent path with early losses. Now, Jordan channels that same unyielding determination into his NASCAR team, 23XI Racing, which has been brought to light by his team’s driver.

During an interview with NBC, Tyler Reddick was asked if Michael Jordan is still competitive in NASCAR similar to his time in the NBA. The 28-year-old racer didn’t spare a moment to answer that. “He really cares about it. You can just hear it in his voice when he talks about it. See it in his demeanor.”

Michael Jordan founded 23XI alongside driver Denny Hamlin and longtime business partner, Curtis Polk in 2020. Having owned a sports team before and being a fan of NASCAR since young, it was a bit of a surprise after he had declared he wasn’t really exploring owning a team. But within months, he was joining forces with Hamlin and Joe Gibbs, and had successfully built a team reportedly valued at $150 million. Now we know this feat doesn’t all just come by for MJ. As Reddick reveals, he is in every step of the way.

“He’s really locked in on what’s going on and really cares about what happens throughout our race and what the outcomes of our season looks like. The outcome of each individual race. As an owner, he understands what goes into it to make it all happen but he’s also invested in it, emotionally and has a lot of passion,” said Reddick during the interview.

However, Jordan’s journey in NASCAR has been met with hurdles. Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, owned by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in October, calling the league and its owners, the France family, ‘monopolistic bullies’. “By exploiting its monopoly power over the racing teams, NASCAR has been able to impose anti-competitive terms as a condition of a team’s access to competitions,” said the lawsuit.

However, this legal journey faced a little setback as the 23XI racing team was denied a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against NASCAR by the federal judge. “Plaintiffs have not alleged that their business cannot survive without a preliminary injunction. Instead, they allege that their businesses may not survive without a preliminary injunction,” said Judge Frank Whitney.

In the face of legal challenges, Jordan remains undeterred, continuing to support and motivate his team in their quest for success. Reddick acknowledges that, having worked with him for about a year.

Tyler Reddick’s first meeting with Michael Jordan

Meeting a legend like Michael Jordan can feel surreal, especially when you’ve grown up watching them redefine excellence. For NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick, his first encounter with the basketball icon was not only exciting but humbling. The experience brought a wave of anticipation and awe, knowing he was about to meet the six-time NBA champion, whose competitive spirit is legendary.

As per an X post by Bob Pockrass, Reddick could be seen sharing the way he felt when he first met the legendary player and his future boss. “The first time I met Michael, I was really nervous honestly… like it’s… you’re meeting one of the greatest to ever do it. I remember just being nervous; trying not to say the wrong thing, or act like a fool or anything crazy,” said Reddick in the video.

However, the 28-year-old racer also mentioned that as time went by, he has grown closer to the former NBA champ. “But as I’ve gotten to know him better, spent more time around him… it’s been nice getting to know Michael (and) him getting to know me and understand on top of it, how passionate he is about racing,” added Reddick.

Reddick first met Jordan in 2023, when he replaced Kurt Busch to join the 23XI team. For Reddick, being part of 23XI Racing under Jordan’s mentorship is both an honor and a challenge, inspiring him to push his limits and aim higher. Now as he gets ready for the championship run this Sunday, he will have quite the eyes on him.