Apparently, Michael Jordan is pretty good at fishing, too.
The six-time NBA champion and the crew of his 80ft fishing boat named Catch 23 hauled in a 442.3lb (200.6kg) blue marlin on Tuesday at the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, an event held annually off the coast of Morehead City, North Carolina, that attracts anglers from across the world. It’s the sixth-largest marlin caught so far during the tournament, which boasts a $3.3m (£2.7m) overall purse.
Jordan’s boat had been in fifth place until a boat came in later Tuesday with a 450lb blue marlin.
The fish wasn’t big enough to place in the top three, so it is not eligible for prize money. But Jordan and his crew still have two more days to catch a bigger marlin and collect some prize money. The leading blue marlin weighed in at 494.2lbs.
Jordan, 57, looked on with smiles as the boat docked and workers hoisted the fish to be weighed on shore. The owner of the Charlotte Hornets later posed for pictures with the rest of his crew alongside the marlin as onlookers cheered and asked for autographs.
“I would love to be back with a little bit bigger fish,” Jordan said in a brief interview posted on the tournament’s Facebook page.
The tournament pays out for the three largest blue marlins boated with the winner taking home $1.1m for the largest fish.
There is also a $550,000 prize for the first boat to land a 500lb blue marlin.
Crystal Hesmer, the tournament’s executive director, said the atmosphere on shore was “electric” when Jordan’s boat, which included Tar Heel blue colors on the side, pulled into the dock to unload the marlin to be weighed.
“Oh my gosh, for Michael Jordan to be in our same air space is exciting and thrilling enough, but for him to land a fish at our tournament and bring it in is thrilling for the entire town,” Hesmer told the Associated Press by telephone. “It’s unbelievable that he’s here in our little town.”
Jordan said he’s participated in other marlin tournaments before, but this was his first in North Carolina.
He has been spending some time recently fishing, and told an onlooker, “I didn’t expect this. It’s been fun.”
“It’s been a while since I have been to Morehead City,” Jordan said during the interview. “It’s only about 100 miles from (where I grew up in) Wilmington. It’s always great to be able to come back and see some friends.”
The six-day tournament, which first was staged in 1957, runs through Saturday and features 205 boats from around the world.
The event was the former Chicago Bulls star’s first public appearance since last week’s announcement that he was making a nine-figure donation to organizations promoting racial equality. The move was a significant departure from Jordan’s previous reluctance to be drawn into politics.
Jordan said he and his company, Jordan Brand, would give $100m over 10 years to the fight for social justice.
In a statement, the Jordan Brand said: “Black lives matter. This isn’t a controversial statement. Until the ingrained racism that allows our country’s institutions to fail is completely eradicated, we will remain committed to protecting and improving the lives of black people.
“Today, we are announcing that Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand will be donating 100 million over the next 10 years to organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education.”
The Jordan Brand is a subsidiary of Nike, the shoe giant that on Friday pledged $40m over the next four years to support the black community.
On Monday, Jordan issued a statement on George Floyd and the killings of black people at the hands of police. He said: “I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry. I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration. I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough.”
