What Michael Jordan is like as a NASCAR boss, according to his star driver

Michael Jordan bestowed nan grant of driving his NASCAR team’s signature car, 1 that bears his ain number 23, to Bubba Wallace for nan past 3 years. 

After joining Jordan successful 2021, Wallace earned his first profession triumph astatine Talladega Superspeedway and earned 3 apical 5 and 3 apical 10 finishes successful conscionable his first twelvemonth arsenic portion of Jordan's squad 23XI Racing. He has gone connected to go 1 of nan sport's astir famous and polarizing figures and has carved a unsocial spot for himself successful its history arsenic the highest-finishing Black driver successful nan Daytona 500.

Now, he is besides a caller father. Wallace welcomed his son, Becks Hayden, pinch his wife Amanda connected Sept. 29. 

As a first clip father, Wallace said Jordan is checking connected him to make judge he is getting capable sleep. 

"He conscionable keeps asking if I’m getting capable sleep, and amazingly enough, we are getting sleep. Becks sleeps beautiful good, astir nights," Wallace told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive interview. 

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Bubba Wallace, driver of nan #23 Toyota Genuine Parts/Mobil 1 Toyota, waits connected nan grid during believe for nan NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race astatine Bristol Motor Speedway connected Sept. 20, 2024 successful Bristol, Tennessee. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

For Wallace, it is 1 of nan much empathetic ways his NBA Hall of Famer NASCAR leader manages his apical talent. On nan different side, however, moving for Jordan comes pinch a batch of verbal insults. 

"He’s competitive," Wallace said of Jordan arsenic a boss. "He’s a batch of fun, he’s a feline that you tin return jabs at, and he’ll crockery it correct back, truthful you person to person heavy skin. That’s really I was brought up and raised, and trash talk is half nan game, and he’s astir apt 1 of nan champion to do it." 

During his NBA career, Jordan developed a estimation arsenic 1 of nan astir belligerent and unfiltered trash talkers successful nan full game, and it did not extremity pinch opponents. Jordan had a estimation of perfectly verbally obliterating his ain teammates. 

In nan celebrated ESPN docuseries "The Last Dance," nan erstwhile Bulls prima and his teammates recounted stories of Jordan bullying his ain younger teammates.

Jordan justified his curen of these younger teammates successful nan bid arsenic a intends to win.

"When group spot this, they mightiness opportunity ‘well he wasn’t really a bully guy, he mightiness person been a tyrant!’ Well that’s you, because you ne'er won anything," Jordan said successful nan docuseries. "I wanted to win, but I wanted them to triumph and beryllium a portion of that arsenic well."

WHY NASCAR STAR BUBBA WALLACE ISN'T MAKING POLITICAL STATEMENTS THIS YEAR AFTER BRASHING TRUMP IN 2020

Michael Jordan, left, talks pinch teammate Isiah Thomas during nan NBA All Star Game played connected Feb. 9, 1992 astatine nan Orlando Arena successful Orlando, Florida. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

One of Jordan's different drivers has moreover said nan NBA fable told him he was "terrible" astatine his sport. 

Fellow 23XI driver Tyler Reddick said successful an question and reply connected Fox Sports' "Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour," successful September that Jordan berated him while nan squad was astatine nan Dayton 500 successful 2023. 

"He [Jordan] turned to maine and said, ‘Man, you don’t person immoderate room to talk. You're unspeakable astatine speedway racing.' He conscionable benignant of took a changeable astatine me, and I wasn't expecting it," Reddick said. "When MJ calls you retired astir not being very bully astatine it, it's easy to find information to get better."

Wallace, arsenic a portion of Jordan’s squad that is trying to compete to triumph successful nan competitory scenery of NASCAR, has bought into that method. Jordan, arsenic a erstwhile transcendent athlete, has offered individual and master proposal to Wallace, and they spell retired of their measurement to comparison their respective situations to each different for strategical means. 

However, Wallace questions Jordan's existent knowledge of NASCAR arsenic a sport.

"What it was for illustration for him coming done nan league, and effort to comparison similarities to what it’s for illustration here. And past I conscionable sewage to schoolhouse him connected his racing knowledge, because he thinks he knows a lot, but there’s a batch to beryllium learned successful this athletics for sure," Wallace said.

For Wallace, this narration has not extended excessively acold extracurricular nan racetrack, yet. Wallace says he has not moreover golfed pinch Jordan successful nan 3 years since they started moving together. 

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Bubba Wallace, driver of nan #23 23XI Racing McDonald's Toyota, drives during nan NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 astatine nan Chicago Street Circuit connected July 7, 2024 successful Chicago. (Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"We for illustration to talk astir racing," Wallace said of his interactions pinch Jordan. 

Wallace said he has not engaged successful immoderate competitory activity that includes stakes of immoderate benignant pinch nan NBA legend. 

Jordan had a estimation arsenic a notorious gambler during and aft his hoops career. It has moreover been reported done aggregate accounts that Jordan would moreover stake pinch his teammates connected nan result of pre-recorded interactive races that were played connected nan jumbotron astatine nan Bulls’ location arena during games. 

Wallace does not look to cognize thing astir that broadside of his boss.

What Wallace does cognize is that Jordan is simply a awesome feline to talk astir hoops with. When they are astatine nan squad facility, 1 NBA squad gets privilege successful getting played connected TV, that being Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets, a squad he antecedently owned but sold successful August 2023. 

"With him being nan proprietor for a while, nan Hornets crippled was ever playing astatine nan racetrack," Wallace said. 

Jordan purchased nan Charlotte-based franchise successful 2010 for $275 million. Jordan made a patient profit erstwhile he yet sold nan squad past year, successful a $3 cardinal waste to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, and he moreover stayed connected arsenic a number owner.

However, successful 13 seasons nether his leadership, nan squad went 423-600, made conscionable 3 playoff appearances and did not triumph a azygous series. During nan lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, nan then-Bobcats went 7-59, which is nan worst grounds successful NBA history. 

Now, 23XI racing is nan biggest sports squad Jordan owns successful nan U.S. The unit is connected Wallace to make judge it does not extremity up for illustration nan Hornets. 

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