Beyond sport.
Michael Jordan announced in a statement Monday evening that he had acquired a Nascar racing team.
But in addition, the basketball legend explains that he recruited the only black pilot in the discipline Bubba Wallace.
“When I was little in North Carolina, my parents took my brothers, my sisters and me to the races, and I've always been a fan of Nascar,” said the 57-year-old American icon.
“The chance to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend Denny Hamlin and to have Bubba Wallace behind the wheel is very exciting for me,” added the one who will hold the majority of the shares of the new franchise, with the former pilot Denny Hamlin as a minority partner.
"The Nascar has always struggled with diversity"
But beyond this new investment for Michael Jordan, who already owns the Charlotte Hornets NBA team, this arrival in the NASCAR also resonates as a commitment.
Because during his career and after, the one who is considered the best basketball player in history and one of the greatest sportsmen of all time has sometimes been criticized for not being sufficiently involved in societal issues in the United States. , and in particular on that of racism.
This is clearly no longer the case.
“Historically, Nascar has always struggled with diversity and there have been few black owners,” Jordan said.
The timing seems perfect because the Nascar evolves and adapts more and more to social change.
In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to tackling systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open up more opportunities to blacks in racing.
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Wallace will be the backbone of the team.
The 26-year-old had recently confirmed that he would no longer race for Richard Petty Motosports.
The latter has spoken out against racism on several occasions following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and in June called on NASCAR leaders to ban the Confederate flag from the circuit.
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