Who Defeated Michael Jordan’s Catch 23 Crew? Know All About the $7.5 Million Worth Fishing Tournament

As competitive as he may be, it’s not possible to win at every instance for Michael Jordan either. And the 6x NBA champ had to face this hard reality in the recently held competition. Notably, Mike’s crew took part in the tourney every year under the name ‘Catch 23’.

According to TMZ Sports, this year the ex-Chicago Bulls star competed in a brand new $15 million vessel spanning 82 feet. But the crew did not place or earn any money during the weekend. In fact, they brought in just 400 pounds of fish throughout the weekend. It is worth mentioning MJ’s crew consisted of 7 anglers and one captain. It’s important to highlight that Michael Jordan himself was not a part of the competitive event.

Meanwhile, the winner of the tournament emerged to be ‘Game Time’, bringing in a 516-pound, which included blue marlin on the scales on Monday. The fish was reeled in by angler Clay Nalley and Capt. Ben Brownlee secured a $1.8 million winning amount for the boat. “It hit the right shore, and I hopped in the chair…It took us about 45 minutes. Everything, thank goodness, went to plan. We just got lucky. Today was our day,” Nally said, as per Carolina Coast Online.

Notably, the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament’s official website mentions the tourney among the largest and oldest sport fishing events in the country. The website further mentioned this 66th annual edition of the tourney included a record fleet of 302 boats, competing for a staggering total purse of $7,562,700. This edition is reportedly the first instance in sportfishing tournament history that all top three teams secured over $1.8 million.

More about the 66th Big Rock Blue Marlin fishing tournament

The ‘Release’ crew emerged as the first runner-up of the tourney, bringing in a 504-pounder. The fish secured an instant payout of $1,729,750 for Captain Rom Whitaker, angler Kirk Pugh, and the rest of the team. During an interview on Monday, Whitaker stated he had been trying to win this tournament for a long time now.

“These guys have stuck with me through thick and thin. All I can say is the good Lord came and showed me the way to go today. But the person I have to thank the most is my wife. She let me quit the corporate world 38 years ago and move to Hatteras and fish for a living,” Whitaker added. Meanwhile, the third position in the event was secured by ‘Builder’s Choice’ with a 431.8-pound fish brought in by angler Harris Huddle and Captain Brent Gaskill on Tuesday.

As per Carolina Coast Online, this was the only catch eligible for the Level VI Super 20 payout of $1.48 million. The crew left the event with total prize money of $1.8 million. “I just started crying…They were thinking it would be close. It was a six-pound difference. I can’t put it into words,” Capt. Gaskill said. Now, Michael Jordan’s crew may have failed this year, but they secured a third spot in the last edition of the tournament. The crew will now have to wait for the 67th edition to redeem themselves.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.