- Michael Jordan is a co-founder of the tequila brand Cincoro.
- Jordan's co-founders — who are also NBA team owners — say Jordan is still constantly competitive in business world.
Michael Jordan's playing days are long behind him, but his competitive fire still burns.
Jordan still actively competes: as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets, an owner of a NASCAR team, and apparently, as a tequila producer.
Jordan is a founder of Cincoro tequila, alongside Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens, and Boston Celtics lead-owner Wyc Grousbeck and his wife, Emilia Fazzalari, who is the CEO of Cincoro.
Speaking from the launch of Cincoro Gold in New York City on Tuesday, Jordan's partners said they see the NBA icon's competitive side come out "all the time."
"There isn't one interaction where it doesn't come out," said Fazzalari.
According to Grousbeck, Jordan initially pitched Cincoro as a way to enjoy easy access to tequila.
"If it doesn't really work out, no one else really likes it, we're gonna have free tequila that we're gonna love," Grousbeck said of Jordan's mentality.
But once the brand began to catch on, Jordan's mentality changed.
"Or we could go for global domination," Jordan eventually said, according to Grousbeck. "That's Michael."
Jordan — who wasn't present for Tuesday's launch event — was famously seen sipping on his own creation during "The Last Dance," the 10-episode docuseries about his NBA career. It was reported that the version he was drinking was the "extra añejo," an expression aged 44 months and can cost more than $1,000 per bottle.
"He loves tequila," said Edens. "What else can he drink?"
According to Fazzalari, Jordan is a hands-on owner.
"Michael and I actually taste every single batch before we bottle, because we wanna ensure that it's super high quality and only the best," Fazzalari said.
Jordan's determination to dominate the tequila market is just another chapter to add in a legacy built on competitiveness.