Sean Gardner/Getty & Ross Kinnaird/Getty
Denny Hamlin (left) and Michael Jordan (right).
NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin has become friends with Michael Jordan - Jordan's Jumpman sponsors his car and Hamlin owns courtside tickets to Jordan's Charlotte Hornets.
The two have apparently become close enough that Jordan admitted something deeply personal and shocking to Hamlin over text: Jordan's not the best at one thing in the world.
After Hamlin took first place in the opening round of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hamlin told reporters that one of the first things he was going to do is text Jordan to remind him of his earlier admission.
"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."
Perhaps the more startling admission here is not that Jordan said he's not as good of a driver as Hamlin - which is pretty obvious since Hamlin drives professionally - it's that Jordan has never admitted that he's not the best at literally anything else!
Jordan can stake a good claim for best basketball player, perhaps even the best pro-sports businessman, but there are many, many other things he's not the best at. He couldn't even in good faith call himself the best owner in the NBA. It'd be very interesting to see what else he won't admit he's not the best at.
This little anecdote just adds to the growing legend of Michael Jordan's insane competitiveness.