NBA great Michael Jordan discusses being ‘cursed’ by competition

NBA legend Michael Jordan’s new love in sports is coming on a racetrack instead of a court. 

But the competitive juices he’s known for remain flowing, as his 23XI Racing team sits atop the 2026 NASCAR Cup standings thanks to the four wins Tyler Reddick has already put through in seven starts.  

Jordan made an appearance on “CBS Mornings,” where co-host Gayle King discussed his competitive spirit now in NASCAR. Jordan’s response was that he’s “cursed” with the need to push for greatness — no matter the task at hand. 

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Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrates after Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins his third race in a row to start the 2026 NASCAR season 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)

“Think I’m cursed,” Jordan said. “I’m cursed with this competitive gene that anything that I do is from a competitive lens, you know? And in some ways, that keeps me young. It keeps me aggressively thinking positively. It helps me either understand everything that I’m involved and I’m connected with.”

Jordan told King that even the minuscule task of getting ready in the morning turns competitive when he knows his wife, Yvette, is involved. 

MICHAEL JORDAN’S NASCAR DRIVER MAKES HISTORY WITH 3RD STRAIGHT WIN TO START 2026 SEASON

“I gotta get in the 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 in time,” Jordan explained. “I gotta drop the kids off. I got all these other things I gotta do.”

Of course, Jordan’s competitiveness has been on full display since his days at UNC before becoming an NBA legend with the Chicago Bulls. He doesn’t know when exactly that need to be competitive came to be, but he knows it was childhood. 

Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing looks on 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 that my appetite to prove as a kid created this competitive thing within me that has transcended and taken over everything that I do,” he said. “And I think it’s a good trait to have because some people don’t have that trait.

“Some people get right at the cusp of what success really means, and they can never get over that hump. I think it helps you evaluate every stage of success. Believe me, I’ve had my failures in terms of the stages.”

For 23XI racing, which is co-owned by veteran NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, it wasn’t an immediate success. But through hard work and determination, 23XI Racing has developed into a premier team. 

Because of the success and the slow climb to get to this point in NASCAR, Jordan can’t shake that competitive bug. 

Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrates with a crew member of the #45 Xfinity Toyota, after driver, Tyler Reddick wins the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on March 22, 2026 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

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“Once I get over it, it’s infectious,” he said. “It’s that feeling of, you know, you’ve accomplished something. I’ve gotten to that hill. It’s a long road getting up that hill.

“I think that every time you see me giddy down into that in the pit, it’s because we’re doing it. We absolutely are doing it. We’re starting to make a difference in a sport that no one thought we could make a difference in.”

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