NBA legend Michael Jordan explains being 'cursed' by competition: 'Keeps me young'

NBA fable Michael Jordan’s caller emotion successful sports is coming connected a racetrack alternatively of a court. 

But the competitory juices he’s known for stay flowing, arsenic his 23XI Racing squad sits atop the 2026 NASCAR Cup standings acknowledgment to the 4 wins Tyler Reddick has already enactment done successful 7 starts.  

Jordan made an quality connected "CBS Mornings," wherever co-host Gayle King discussed his competitory tone present successful NASCAR. Jordan’s effect was that he’s "cursed" with the request to propulsion for greatness — nary substance the task astatine hand. 

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Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrates aft Tyler Reddick, operator of the #45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins his 3rd contention successful a enactment to commencement the 2026 NASCAR play winning the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne astatine Circuit of The Americas connected March 1, 2026 successful Austin, Texas. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

"Think I’m cursed," Jordan said. "I’m cursed with this competitory cistron that thing that I bash is from a competitory lens, you know? And successful immoderate ways, that keeps maine young. It keeps maine aggressively reasoning positively. It helps maine either recognize everything that I’m progressive and I’m connected with."

Jordan told King that adjacent the minuscule task of getting acceptable successful the greeting turns competitory erstwhile helium knows his wife, Yvette, is involved. 

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

"I gotta get successful the ablution and get into the bath earlier she comes successful truthful she doesn’t dilatory down my time, and I tin get to the play people successful time," Jordan explained. "I gotta driblet the kids off. I got each these different things I gotta do."

Of course, Jordan’s competitiveness has been connected afloat show since his days astatine UNC earlier becoming an NBA fable with the Chicago Bulls. He doesn’t cognize erstwhile precisely that request to beryllium competitory came to be, but helium knows it was childhood. 

Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing looks connected during the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 500 astatine Phoenix Raceway connected March 8, 2026 successful Avondale, Arizona. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

"I don’t know. I deliberation that my appetite to beryllium arsenic a kid created this competitory happening wrong maine that has transcended and taken implicit everything that I do," helium said. "And I deliberation it’s a bully trait to person due to the fact that immoderate radical don’t person that trait.

"Some radical get close astatine the cusp of what occurrence truly means, and they tin ne'er get implicit that hump. I deliberation it helps you measure each signifier of success. Believe me, I’ve had my failures successful presumption of the stages."

For 23XI racing, which is co-owned by seasoned NASCAR operator Denny Hamlin, it wasn’t an contiguous success. But done hard enactment and determination, 23XI Racing has developed into a premier team. 

Because of the occurrence and the dilatory ascent to get to this constituent successful NASCAR, Jordan can’t shingle that competitory bug. 

Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrates with a unit subordinate of the #45 Xfinity Toyota, aft driver, Tyler Reddick wins the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 astatine Darlington Raceway connected March 22, 2026 successful Darlington, South Carolina. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

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"Once I get implicit it, it’s infectious," helium said. "It’s that feeling of, you know, you’ve accomplished something. I’ve gotten to that hill. It’s a agelong roadworthy getting up that hill.

"I deliberation that each clip you spot maine giddy down into that successful the pit, it’s due to the fact that we’re doing it. We perfectly are doing it. We’re starting to marque a quality successful a athletics that nary 1 thought we could marque a quality in."

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