CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan has had a lifetime of big moments. His latest came on the witness stand in a federal courthouse.
The retired NBA great testified Friday against NASCAR in an antitrust case he is pursuing against the stock car series on behalf of his race team, 23XI, along with Front Row Motorsports. Both want to force NASCAR to change the way it does business with its teams, accusing it of monopolistic behavior.
“Someone had to step forward and challenge the entity,” the soft-spoken Jordan told the jury. “I felt I could challenge NASCAR as a whole.”
It was a different role for the 62-year-old Jordan, known best for the six NBA titles he won with the Chicago Bulls and his business interests in retirement, including his still relatively new role as a NASCAR team co-owner with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. 23XI is a combination of Jordan’s longtime jersey number and Hamlin’s race car number.
Dressed in a dark blue suit, Jordan slowly headed to the stand for the afternoon session, adjusted the seat for his 6-foot-6 frame and settled in. Those in the packed courtroom hung on every word.
Jordan said he grew up a NASCAR fan, attending races at 11 or 12 with his family at tracks in Charlotte and Rockingham in his home state but also at Darlington in South Carolina and the Talladega superspeedway in Alabama.
“We called it a weekend vacation,” he said.
There were moments of levity on a dramatic day of testimony that also included Heather Gibbs, the daughter-in-law of team owner and NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. People were turned away from the courtroom and U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell couldn’t help but notice the high attendance in front of him as well as an overflow room nearby.
“I take it Mr. Jordan is the next witness,” Bell quipped.
Outside the courthouse in downtown Charlotte, a crowd gathered for the first time this week for a chance to see Jordan. One woman screamed “Oh My God, Mike! You are an icon, you the best, you the best to do it in the NBA!” Another claimed to have played golf and cards with Jordan acquaintances while asking Jordan to pose for a photo with his daughters.
Jordan said, “Man, it’s cold out here for you guys,” before complimenting the two girls on their Nike-branded hoodies.
A spectator held a sign that read “NASCAR Your Fans Deserve Better” and Hamlin turned to him and said “You’re right” as they tried to make their way through the throng to a caravan of waiting SUVs.
On the witness stand, Jordan noted he was an early fan of Richard Petty, like his dad. He later gravitated to Cale Yarborough, “the original No. 11. Sorry, Denny,” Jordan testified as Hamlin watched from the gallery.
Jordan was asked to outline his career, noting his time with the Bulls and adding he remains a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Did he play anywhere else?
“I try to forget it but I did,” said Jordan, who played for the Washington Wizards in a mostly forgettable return to the NBA after his championship runs with the Bulls and a brief time playing minor league baseball.
But Jordan spent most of his time making clear why he was in court suing the series he loves over the charters that guarantee teams revenue and access to Cup Series races. Among other things, the plaintiffs want the charters made permanent, which NASCAR has balked at.
“Look, we saw the economics wasn’t really beneficial to the teams,” Jordan testified, adding: “The thing I see in NASCAR that I think is absent is a shared responsibility of growth as well as loss.”
As the session wound down, defense attorney Lawrence Buterman noted the novelty of cross-examining an icon like Jordan, closing with the comment: “Thank you for making my 9-year-old think I’m cool today.”
“You’re not wearing any Jordans today,” Jordan replied. When he was dismissed from the stand, he said “whew” and made his way back to the seat in the front row he’s occupied all week.
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