His Airness, 6 time NBA champ Michael Jordan, seems to have more than just hoop skills. At this year's Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in Morehead City, NC, the basketball icon and Space Jam star helped reel in a 442 lb blue marlin aboard his custom Viking yacht the 'Catch 23.' Surprisingly, that was only good enough for 6th spot with three days left in the tournament, but there's no doubt MJ is still looking for gold. The current front runner, the Predator from Hatteras, NC, sits atop the leaderboard with a chunky 492 lb fish. You can follow along with live updates online.
If you haven't seen his new Netflix documentary 'The Last Dance,' MJ is notorious in sports circles for his competitive nature. His passion for winning has been captured in tales of brutal games of 21 with teammates to eye-popping games of 21 at the blackjack table. Despite an impressive 442 lb fish aboard, there's no doubt Air Jordan isn't pleased being off the podium. With $1.1 million going to the winning boat and over $5 million up for grabs, he'll be looking to add more hardware to the mantle.
In typical Jordan fashion, he stated "I’d love to be back with a little bit bigger fish..." in his post-catch interview. The ire of 6th place was also evident in his follow-up, "Even though I didn't win, right now, today, I'd like to thank everyone for supporting the tournament." There's still 3 days to go...
Coupled with his taste for victory, Jordan also has exceptional taste in boats. His 80 foot Viking Sportfish is fully customized and designed for winning. The 'Catch 23' was this years 123rd entry in the tournament (because of course), and is decked out with a custom elephant print wrap in Tar Heel blue and a decal package matching his Air Jordan 3 sneakers.
While MJ is no doubt enjoying retirement, fans are still holding out hope he'll cameo in the upcoming Space Jam 2. I wouldn't get your hopes up, though, it seems MJ is having more fun with the fishing reel than the movie reel.
And His Airness isn't the only superathlete living the salt life. Recent Super Bowl stud Tom Brady rolled up to the victory parade in his own custom Wajer 55S yacht.
To see more of MJ's big catch and an interview with the North Carolina native, ESPN also covered the event or check out the video video:
