Stephen A. Smith has revealed he was confronted by Michael Jordan over his divisive comments about NASCAR after claiming that racing drivers are not athletes.
The ESPN host sparked outrage last month when he ridiculed a caller on his SiriusXM radio show who pointed to legendary driver Richard Petty in a debate about the greatest athletes of all time.
‘Come on, man. That don’t count. You driving a car!’ Smith fired back in response. ‘I’m being honest, it’s a great sport. But come on, bro. Getting behind the wheel of a car is not the same.
‘You can be behind the wheel of a car in your 60s and 70s for crying out loud. A golfer is not an athlete. A NASCAR driver is not an athlete.’
Smith’s controversial stance has left the NASCAR world furious, with a number of drivers taking aim at him for disregarding the sport.
And amid the fury over his comments, NBA legend Jordan – who is the co-owner of 23XI Racing – even reached out to Smith to ‘correct’ him on the matter.
Stephen A. Smith has revealed he was confronted by Michael Jordan over his divisive comments about NASCAR
Jordan, who co-owns 23XI Racing, ‘corrected’ Smith on his claim that drivers aren’t athletes
‘You know who wanted to correct me about the NASCAR thing? Michael Jordan ,’ the media personality said on SiriusXM on Thursday. ‘Michael Jordan. I argued with him! Because that’s how I feel!
‘I’m being honest. That’s how I feel. That’s all, it’s not a crime. That’s what makes radio and sports talk.’
Jordan, who was recently the face of a federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over its revenue-sharing model, has spent close to six years as a team owner after acquiring a stake in 23XI Racing back in 2020.
The six-time NBA champion got a Daytona 500 ring for his 63rd birthday earlier this year after driver Tyler Reddick’s victory in the showpiece race.
Smith has come under fire from the NASCAR world in recent weeks, with veteran driver Ryan Preece taking a shot at him for rubbishing the sport.
Preece, who barrel-rolled 10 times down the backstretch at Daytona in 2023, told the First Take star: ‘I’d love for him to go tumbling 13 times, have black eyes, and show up next week doing what you gotta do.
‘I think your definition of an athlete certainly varies from person to person.’
