Denny Hamlin-Michael Jordan Relationship History: How the Two Legends Became Business Partners in NASCAR

Denny Hamlin and basketball superstar Michael Jordan are riding high on success following 23XI Racing’s success in last Sunday’s Cup Series race in Talladega. From being a one-car operation striving to create an impact in the wall to being a championship contender, the team has come a long way under the duo’s able leadership. The story of how their partnership came to be is a tale fitting the time.

Talking to Frank Fleming from Barstool Sports a few weeks back, Hamlin narrated his first meeting with Jordan. He’d been at a Charlotte Hornets (NBA team, formerly owned by Jordan) game when the superstar had called him in for a chat. They’d largely spoken about motorsports and kicked off a friendship based on stock car racing.

Hamlin continued to reveal that they took things to the next level through golf and more NASCAR-based conversations. Not surprisingly, their business partnership soon began with Hamlin requesting Jordan to supply the gear for his #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team through Nike and the Jordan brand. “It just changed a lot of things,” Hamlin said of the advance.

It was at this time that the Joe Gibbs Racing star was in the market with an interest in purchasing a stake in a race team. He’d been looking at an option that would cost him the least amount of money and still provide him considerable control over executive decisions. Fortunately for him, the rumor mill began turning in his favor for once. 

A fake news article saying he was going to purchase Richard Petty Motorsports along with Michael Jordan popped on the circle. Hamlin narrated the subsequent sequence, “I sent him this article and I said, ‘Hey! Looks like we’re going into business together.’ He says, ‘Haha, that’s obviously fake news. But if you want to make it real news, let me know.’”

Stunned by the response, Hamlin had wanted to clarify what his friend meant. Upon getting reiterated that he was in fact interested in kickstarting a race team, a business plan was quickly drawn up. The driver continued to Fleming, “He says, ‘Listen, I love it. But this [the plan] has got to go through my people and that’s going to take some time.’ So, for the next month and a half to two months his group vetted it and looked it over and says, ‘We’re in.’”

Currently in its fourth year of operation, 23XI Racing is the sport’s fastest growing team. Its drivers, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, have been contending for the win every week and kept the leadership’s hopes of a championship alive. Regardless of how long it takes, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin are here to stay and make 23XI Racing the biggest force in NASCAR.