Michael Jordan issues statement after wild Donald Trump claim goes viral
Former NBA star Michael Jordan has turned his attention to co-owning the 23XI Racing NASCAR Cup Series team.
In the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election, NASCAR team co-owner Michael Jordan was forced to clarify that he did not issue an endorsement of candidate Donald Trump.
The 2024 election has raised some serious concerns about the proliferation of false or AI-generated news, and the NASCAR team boss is fighting back.
23XI co-owner Michael Jordan denies Trump endorsement
Ahead of last week’s U.S. presidential election, a post from X user TheRoyalSerf claimed that “Michael Jordan becomes the latest to endorse Donald Trump for president.” It followed a legitimate news story that fellow NBA star LeBron James was endorsing Kamala Harris.
The post featured an image of Jordan, and the phrase “JUST IN,” implying that it was a breaking news story. However, the post included no additional information, or a link to a confirmation.
Further, the “community notes” feature on X disputed the claim, citing an October 31 news story pointing out that Jordan had not endorsed either candidate, and that he has remained largely neutral in the face of politics.
After the election, however, Jordan’s representatives confirmed to The Independent that the former basketball legend refused to endorse a candidate.
“There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Michael Jordan has made an endorsement in the presidential election,” a representative said.
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Michael Jordan made waves in the early 2020s when rumors began to surface that he had taken an interest in the NASCAR Cup Series, particularly in providing opportunities to driver Bubba Wallace.
The team kicked off as a one-car operation for the 2021 Cup Series season, with Wallace serving as driver of the No. 23 machine (which is also the number Jordan used during his basketball career).
Since then, the team has grown to include a second car, with rumors of 23XI pursuing a third. It took a victory in its first season of Cup competition, and now driver Tyler Reddick is one of four drivers competing for the title at the Phoenix finale.
Further, 23XI is also one of two teams currently engaged in a lawsuit against NASCAR. That team, along with Front Row Motorsports, has alleged that NASCAR operates as a monopoly.
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