NASCAR owner Michael Jordan falls out of NBA top 5 in all-time scoring
Michael Jordan didn’t seem too upset.
Hours after Kevin Durant knocked him out of the top five on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, Jordan was all smiles as he headed to Victory Lane to greet Tyler Reddick following the driver’s victory Sunday at Darlington Raceway.
Reddick – who drives for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by Jordan and veteran driver Denny Hamlin – joined NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott as the only Cup Series drivers to win four of the first six races in a season.
To do so, Reddick had to overcome a battery malfunction and a significant deficit in the final 50 laps. Then, Jordan jumped the track’s safety barrier to greet Reddick and his team with high fives and enthusiastic cheers.
“I think the key to his victory was just keeping a cool head,” Jordan said after the race. “We just had to have the right car, and I think he did an incredible job. I just wanted everything to go well, because once he gets back, I feel like his competitive spirit is going to carry him through to the end. He’s earned it all week and I’m really proud of the team.”
Earlier this year, Reddick became the first NASCAR driver to start the season with three consecutive victories. He sits atop the Cup Series standings, ahead of second-place Ryan Blaney of Team Penske by 95 points. Reddick’s 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace is currently in third place.
A night earlier, Durant scored 27 points in the Houston Rockets’ 123-122 win over the Miami Heat, passing Jordan for fifth place on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list. In his 18th season, Durant has 32,294 points, two more than Jordan, who played 13 seasons for the Chicago Bulls and two for the Washington Wizards. Durant and the Rockets face the Bulls in Chicago on Monday.
Jordan has yet to publicly comment on the matter, but Durant praised the man considered by many to be basketball’s GOAT on Saturday during his post-game press conference.
“It’s kind of crazy to pass him up because he means so much to the game,” said Durant, who passed Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki on the scoring list earlier this season and now trails only Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and all-time leader LeBron James.
“I’ve been inspired by all these players that I’m getting close to or passing up, and MJ is in his own world,” Durant added. “He’s in his own galaxy as someone who I admire, who I respect and who basically shaped the game for me.”
Durant also pointed out that Jordan would have scored a lot more points if he hadn’t taken several seasons off during his playing career.
“He also left a couple thousand points on the table, I mean, with the amount of games he missed,” Durant said. “…He scored points quickly, man. So he set the bar high, and it’s pretty cool to reach that bar.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
