Sports
What Michael Jordan is like as a NASCAR boss, according to his star driver
Michael Jordan bestowed the honor of driving his NASCAR team’s signature car, one that bears his own number 23, to Bubba Wallace for the last three years.
After joining Jordan in 2021, Wallace earned his first career win at Talladega Superspeedway and earned three top 5 and three top 10 finishes in just his first year as part of Jordan’s team 23XI Racing. He has gone on to become one of the sport’s most famous and polarizing figures and has carved a unique spot for himself in its history as the highest-finishing Black driver in the Daytona 500.
Now, he is also a new father. Wallace welcomed his son, Becks Hayden, with his wife Amanda on Sept. 29.
As a first time father, Wallace said Jordan is checking on him to make sure he is getting enough sleep.
“He just keeps asking if I’m getting enough sleep, and surprisingly enough, we are getting sleep. Becks sleeps pretty good, most nights,” Wallace told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Toyota Genuine Parts/Mobil 1 Toyota, waits on the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 20, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
For Wallace, it is one of the more empathetic ways his NBA Hall of Famer NASCAR boss manages his top talent. On the other side, however, working for Jordan comes with a lot of verbal insults.
“He’s competitive,” Wallace said of Jordan as a boss. “He’s a lot of fun, he’s a guy that you can take jabs at, and he’ll dish it right back, so you have to have thick skin. That’s how I was brought up and raised, and trash talk is half the game, and he’s probably one of the best to do it.”
During his NBA career, Jordan developed a reputation as one of the most belligerent and unfiltered trash talkers in the entire game, and it did not stop with opponents. Jordan had a reputation of absolutely verbally obliterating his own teammates.
In the famous ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance,” the former Bulls star and his teammates recounted stories of Jordan bullying his own younger teammates.
Jordan justified his treatment of these younger teammates in the series as a means to win.
“When people see this, they might say ‘well he wasn’t really a nice guy, he might have been a tyrant!’ Well that’s you, because you never won anything,” Jordan said in the docuseries. “I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win and be a part of that as well.”
WHY NASCAR STAR BUBBA WALLACE ISN’T MAKING POLITICAL STATEMENTS THIS YEAR AFTER BRASHING TRUMP IN 2020
Michael Jordan, left, talks with teammate Isiah Thomas during the NBA All Star Game played on Feb. 9, 1992 at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
One of Jordan’s other drivers has even said the NBA legend told him he was “terrible” at his sport.
Fellow 23XI driver Tyler Reddick said in an interview on Fox Sports’ “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,” in September that Jordan berated him while the team was at the Dayton 500 in 2023.
“He [Jordan] turned to me and said, ‘Man, you don’t have any room to talk. You’re terrible at speedway racing.’ He just kind of took a shot at me, and I wasn’t expecting it,” Reddick said. “When MJ calls you out about not being very good at it, it’s easy to find motivation to get better.”
Wallace, as a part of Jordan’s team that is trying to compete to win in the competitive landscape of NASCAR, has bought into that method. Jordan, as a former transcendent athlete, has offered personal and professional advice to Wallace, and they go out of their way to compare their respective situations to each other for strategic means.
However, Wallace questions Jordan’s actual knowledge of NASCAR as a sport.
“What it was like for him coming through the league, and try to compare similarities to what it’s like here. And then I just got to school him on his racing knowledge, because he thinks he knows a lot, but there’s a lot to be learned in this sport for sure,” Wallace said.
For Wallace, this relationship has not extended too far outside the racetrack, yet. Wallace says he has not even golfed with Jordan in the three years since they started working together.
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 23XI Racing McDonald’s Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Circuit on July 7, 2024 in Chicago. (Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“We like to talk about racing,” Wallace said of his interactions with Jordan.
Wallace said he has not engaged in any competitive activity that includes stakes of any kind with the NBA legend.
Jordan had a reputation as a notorious gambler during and after his basketball career. It has even been reported through multiple accounts that Jordan would even bet with his teammates on the outcome of pre-recorded interactive races that were played on the jumbotron at the Bulls’ home arena during games.
Wallace does not seem to know anything about that side of his boss.
What Wallace does know is that Jordan is a great guy to talk about basketball with. When they are at the team facility, one NBA team gets priority in getting played on TV, that being Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets, a team he previously owned but sold in August 2023.
“With him being the owner for a while, the Hornets game was always playing at the racetrack,” Wallace said.
Jordan purchased the Charlotte-based franchise in 2010 for $275 million. Jordan made a healthy profit when he finally sold the team last year, in a $3 billion sale to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, and he even stayed on as a minority owner.
However, in 13 seasons under his leadership, the team went 423-600, made just three playoff appearances and did not win a single series. During the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, the then-Bobcats went 7-59, which is the worst record in NBA history.
Now, 23XI racing is the biggest sports team Jordan owns in the U.S. The pressure is on Wallace to make sure it does not end up like the Hornets.
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Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship
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There are good days on the golf course, and then there is what Haeran Ryu just did on Saturday.
Ryu, 25, recorded the lowest round in LPGA major history on Saturday with an 11-under 60 at the Evian Championship. With the South Korean golfer’s historic round, she holds a three-stroke lead.
Ryu’s round comes just two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship. On the 18th hole, Ryu left a 30-foot eagle putt a few inches short, and instead settled for a birdie.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea reacts on the 18th green after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
She said after the round that she had no idea what she had done until she counted up her scorecard.
“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”
If Ryu had made the eagle putt on the 18th hole, she would have been just the second player to shoot a 59 in LPGA history.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea celebrates a birdie on the 15th green during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Her 60 broke the record for the lowest round in an LPGA major by one shot. Leona Maguire and Jeungeun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated as an LPGA major in 2013.
The lowest round in a men’s major is 62, which is shared by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Lottie Woad of England interact after their round on the 18th green during the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Ryu hopes her historic third round can help propel her to a second major win in three weeks.
“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Taylor Crabb is no stranger to South California beaches. The Long Beach State alum returns home this weekend to compete in AVP League matches.
It marks the first time AVP will compete in Long Beach since 2020 and allows players to compete at the 2028 Olympics beach volleyball venue.
Crabb, 34, made his AVP debut in 2013 with his brother, Trevor, and advanced from the qualifier in Manhattan Beach before finishing 25th in his first tournament.
After years of competing with various different partners, Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh have delivered the top performances this AVP season.
The following interview with Crabb has been edited for clarity and length.
Are you excited to compete in this weekend’s event at Long Beach?
Crabb: Very excited. A lot of my college teammates and part of the school have reached out, saying that they’re gonna come. So I’m excited to get a chance to play in front of them again.
When was the last time you were in Long Beach?
Crabb: I always try to go down there for alumni events or any big games they have. I went to UCLA against Long Beach last year, when it was No. 1 versus No. 2, so I always try to get down there and support them.
You missed out on the chance to compete in the 2020 Olympics because of COVID-19 restrictions and chose not to pursue a spot at the 2024 Olympics. Are you fired up to try to compete in the 2028 Olympics, knowing that Long Beach will host the competition?
Crabb: Yeah, it’s definitely an exciting time having the Olympics in Long Beach, and we kind of get to break it in this weekend. As you said, Tokyo didn’t go the way I wanted, but I’m going full force now. I have a great partner in Andy Benesh, who obviously went to the Paris Olympics, and if it weren’t for the Olympics being in Long Beach, and me getting a partner like Andy, I’m not even sure I’d be going for it, but because of those two things, I want to make the most of it.
You mentioned that if it wasn’t for a partner like Andy, you wouldn’t be going for it. What do you mean by that?
Crabb: I didn’t feel motivated by playing in all the international events, but now, I think, sitting out kind of lit the fire under me, and I’m really motivated now.
You’ve had different partners throughout your time. What other motivation does Andy give you?
Crabb: He’s been, in my mind, the top blocker for the U.S. the last four or five years. Seeing the professionalism he brings every day to practice, on and off the court, while traveling and when showing up to tournaments, it rubs off on you and that’s really motivating to see. And I just want to make him proud.
Why do you love volleyball?
Crabb: A lot of reasons, but it’s just a feeling I have when I’m out there on the court. It feels natural. It feels like home. I was born into a volleyball family. I had a volleyball in my hands my entire life, so I’ve always just enjoyed it.
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CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.
Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”
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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.
Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.
“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.
Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.
Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.
Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)
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Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.
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