Michael Jordan's $8 million yacht finished 3rd in a local fishing competition securing him over $460,000
Michael Jordan is a well-known sports fisherman. He owns an $8 million yacht called “Catch 23” to compete and enjoy fishing tournaments across the US.
On Aug. 20, the six-time NBA champion joined the 32nd MidAtlantic Tournament where his team reeled in a 75-pound behemoth. The catch earned them third place in the white marlin category, giving his team a $462,318 prize.
The amount the team from “Catch 23” won isn’t even half of what it costs to operate the Viking 80 sports yacht. It reportedly needs a cool $1 million annually to maintain its power, speed, elegance and luxury. For someone who sold the Charlotte Hornets for $3 billion, keeping the yacht in top shape for competitions is a breeze.
Over the past few years, Michael Jordan has spent countless hours on his boat in tournaments. He once said in an interview with Australian Story in 2021 how the sport has taught him something he’s not particularly great with:
"Now, the challenge is to calm those nerves. That is why I do a lot more fishing now.
"I would have never thought I would get on a boat and go fishing, but the combination of patience and trying to catch a fish, trying to be patient. It's not gonna happen. You can't make it happen. You just got to be ready when it does happen.
Michael Jordan added:
"Those are all things that I think calms me down a lot more than if I'm playing any sport, if I'm playing gold or if I'm doing anything competitive because I think that's what I need. That's the therapy that I need to help soothe some of these competitive juices that I have."
Michael Jordan is spending more time outside of the NBA
After selling the majority ownership of the Charlotte Hornets for $3 billion, Michael Jordan now has more time in his hands. Although he remains a minority owner, it’s no longer his duty to make the team’s biggest basketball decisions.
Recently, he’s become more involved with his NASCAR team called 23XI Racing. He grew up in Charlotte and was easily influenced by sports racing. Unlike fishing, where patience is essential, speed is a necessity in this sport.
Without spending a ton of time with the Charlotte Hornets, he’s become more involved with another sport he is passionate about. Denny Hamlin, one of his partners and a legendary NASCAR driver had this to say about Jordan’s increased time with the team:
“Certainly, he's involved in more meetings. Now he wants to be on every branding e-mail. I'm like, ‘Oh boy, this could be interesting.' So, yeah, I think he has some more time and perhaps he's gonna use that more on the race team.”