Michael Jordan braved some dangerous conditions last week as his boat won a nearly $400k prize at the ‘Super Bowl’ of fishing.
The Bulls legend’s ‘Catch 23’ boat – which he previously shelled out around $15million for – competed at the prestigious White Marlin Open in Ocean, City Maryland.
And after arriving to the area on his private jet on Tuesday, the six-time NBA champion and his teammates persevered through some massive waves as the boat reeled in a 71-pound fish.
As detailed in The Times, Jordan and the rest of the crew were at one point up to their knees in water, with the boat being pelted by water.
The top of the vessel’s 40-foot tower was reportedly being hit by water as angler Trey McMillan worked to corral the fish on his own. Tournament rules at the competition state that McMillan could not receive help from his teammates in catching the fish.
Ultimately, McMillan was able to land the 71-pound white Marlin – good for second place in the competition and a $389,000 prize.
Michael Jordan (far right) poses with Catch 23’s 71-pound Marlin last week
Jordan and the boat’s crew braved some dangerous positions to finish second
Of course, Jordan – worth an estimated $3.5billion according to Forbes – doesn’t need that money, but he looked thrilled by his boat’s catch as they posed alongside the fish afterwards.
The crew celebrated their second-place finish as ‘Sirius,’ the Bulls’ entrance song during the Jordan era, blared over the speakers at the event.
According to The Times, the basketball mogul has been coming to the event for ‘the last few years,’ and he received a raucous reception as his boat returned to shore with its big catch.
McMillan called it a ‘legendary week’ afterwards.
‘I’m just very grateful to be able to do it with such a great team we have,’ he told the Post and Courier.
‘We’ve caught a lot of fish that were long enough but never made qualifying weight,’ he added. ‘It’s a very hard tournament to win or even place in because you are fishing against the greatest fishermen in the world.’
The tournament also gave Jordan a chance to meet up with his son Marcus, 34, who has recently been open about his newfound sobriety.
Marcus was arrested back in February for DUI and cocaine possession, but shared with his followers last month that he’d recently achieved 100 days of being sober.
Marcus was seen posing alongside his father and the boat’s crew following their second-place finish as the group posed at shore.
Their 71-pound marlin was bested only by a 72-pound specimen caught by angler Dan Gough, who took home a whopping $4.27 million in prize money.
‘The biggest tournament, people come from all over,’ angler Jimmy David told COAST TV. ‘Michael Jordan, all kinds of people. I heard they have the Secretary of the Navy over there and all kinds of celebrities. And the best of the best fishing. That’s for sure — the Super Bowl.’
Jordan will be a ‘special contributor’ to NBC’s NBA coverage next season
Michael Jordan’s son Marcus revealed he reconnected with his legendary dad last month
Jordan, who also owns a NASCAR team, is preparing for a new role as a ‘special contributor’ to NBC’s NBA coverage this season.
He’s mostly remained out of the limelight since wrapping up his historic playing career, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver previously shared why he was interested in the on-air role.
‘I spoke to Michael about it,’ Silver said on the Dan Patrick Show. ‘He’s excited about it. I think for him it means he’s got to stay current with the game.’
Silver continued: ‘He’s so passionate about it. I mean we talk about it all the time, he wants the game to be played the right way.’
Jordan’s new role was announced in May, and it will see him up his involvement with the NBA following his sale of his majority stake of the Charlotte Hornets in 2023.
