NASCAR racer reminisces on getting impressed by Michael Jordan's competitive spirit - "MJ, man, he's competitive and loves to poke the bear"

NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is a long-time NASCAR fan. In 2020, the six-time NBA champion founded his own racing team, 23XI Racing, with Bubba Wallace as the lone driver. Wallace opened up on his first meeting with Jordan, and how the five-time NBA MVP's competitiveness impressed him.

On "ALL THE SMOKE" podcast, he detailed his first phone call with Jordan before signing with 23XI Racing:

"This was my first ever talking to MJ and he said 'hey, we do this deal there ain't no more running in the back'. Like, digging at me and I'm like 'alright, sounds good, yeah, okay' so I thought that was pretty special.

"MJ, man, he's competitive and loves to poke the bear and bet against you just to push you, just to motivate you. In the moment, he's joking around and says 'hey, I'll bet against you' but then he'll pull you to the side and he's like 'you know what I'm doing right'? Then it'll get results and he'll be like 'told you'."

Michael Jordan has long been known for his competitive nature, so it is no surprise to see that carry over to his NASCAR team. Bubba Wallace currently sits at 19th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.

Watch Bubba Wallace discuss Michael Jordan's competitive nature below (starting at the 30:50 mark):

Dwyane Wade in basketball heaven around Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson

Dwyane Wade was named in the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. At the ceremony, the future Hall of Famer spent time with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Wade described the experience of being surrounded by two players he grew up watching. The three-time champion said:

"I just looked around and I ran into Magic at one point when I first walked in. He was like 'D Wade, only 75 people got this jacket'. And Mike creeps in and Mike gave me some love and every time, I don't care, this is Mike.

"So Mike came and gave me love then he went right to the old dog. He went right to Magic, right? That clip that went viral and, if you see my face, that was the moment that I realized I was in basketball heaven."

Despite him joining them on that historic roster, Wade couldn't help but turn into a fan when surrounded by two of the greatest players ever. Wade was open about Jordan being his basketball inspiration as he grew up in Chicago during Jordan's legendary career.

Watch Dwyane Wade discuss being in basketball heaven below: