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NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and NBA G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan have become good friends over the years. With Jordan hailing from North Carolina, the heart of NASCAR country, and with more free time on his hands these days, it’s understandable why he’s become a rather passionate fan of the sport.
Hamlin and Jordan first met at a basketball game in 2009 and have since worked together off and on as Hamlin is sponsored by Jordan Brand and has even sported His Airness’ likeness on his vehicles (with the caveat from Jordan that Hamlin “had to guarantee a win” of course).
There is one other small tie that binds the two together: Hamlin’s girlfriend and mother of his two kids, Jordan Fish, is a former Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) cheerleader, aka the NBA team MJ owns.
Back in 2015, after winning the first race in the Chase for the Cup, Hamlin related yet another story of how competitive Jordan is, saying, “The first thing I’m going to do is text Michael Jordan. He texted me on Wednesday. He said he was in Monte Carlo. I popped in his head like I always do, which I thought was a little odd. He says, ‘I know you’re about to head into the playoffs. I just want you to know I’ve never admitted to anybody that anyone is better than me at anything my whole life. But if you win this race this weekend, I will admit that you’re a better driver than I am.’
“I thought, ‘Wow, that would be awesome.’ I just thought of that just now. So the first thing I’m going to do is text him and say, Admit it, I’m better than you, and I want everyone to know.”
Admission or not, Jordan still gets mad at his pal Hamilin when he thinks he is not racing aggressively enough, especially when he finishes second.
During an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday, Hamlin shared a story about how Jordan wasn’t happy that he finished second to Kevin Harvick on Sunday, when, in MJ’s eyes, he could have won if he’d just pushed a little harder.
“This past weekend when I finished second on the last lap, it was, ‘expletive.’ He’s like, ‘Damn it, it was so close, you should’ve moved him.'” Hamlin told Patrick. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know I shoulda knocked him out of the way.’ He was like, ‘He would have done it to you! You get him first!’ So, he’s pretty passionate about it.”
Hamlin also talked about playing golf with the G.O.A.T.
“I’ll be honest with you, he’s pretty much business on the golf course,” said Hamlin when asked if Jordan talks trash on the course. “You know, he’s got a lot of action going … but I’ll tell you what, there’s one thing in his group I found out. You cannot play slow. Period.”
He’s not kidding. Jordan is building his own golf course, just so he doesn’t have to wait on slow players.
Hamlin’s entire interview with Patrick can be heard below…