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Daytona 500 Winner Austin Cindric, Who Beat A Michael Jordan Sponsored Bubba Wallace, Ends The LeBron James vs MJ GOAT Debate

Published 02/22/2022, 10:31 PM EST

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In his days in the NBA, there was no competitor like Michael Jordan. His fierce nature and natural instinct to go for the win made him the legend he is today. However, after retirement, Jordan didn’t have much to compete in. Hence, he decided to start his own racing brand. Recently, after beating Jordan during the Daytona 500, Austin Cindric made a wise choice while choosing his GOAT.

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Jordan’s documentary, ‘ The Last Dance’ made it clear how big a competitor he really was. MJ would do anything to find an edge against his opponents and get the upper hand. That led him to win six championships in a span of 8 years. So it wasn’t a surprise to see him want to compete again. Hence, he entered the world of NASCAR with racer Bubba Wallace, who recently came in second during the Daytona 500, behind Austin Cindric.

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Cindric doesn’t want to trigger Michael Jordan

After winning the Daytona 500, Cindric sat down with ‘First Things First’ to speak about his achievement. In the middle of the discussion, NBA analyst Chris Broussard asked Cindric who according to him was the GOAT. Likewise, it is safe to say Cindric knew just how to answer that question.

He said: “Jimmie Johnson is the GOAT but that’s in my sport. But in basketball, Michael Jordan is 100% the GOAT. It’s undeniable. I don’t want to fuel the fire. I mean, I watched the Last Dance and I don’t want to talk about Jordan losing, that doesn’t work out too well for other people.”

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Cindric was clever to give the title of the GOAT to Jordan. Knowing what happens when MJ gets personal, Cindric gave his props to the NBA legend. However, when it comes to racing, there isn’t much Jordan can do but motivate Bubba to push himself.

But what was the reason Cindric was so feared in the first place?

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There are countless stories of Jordan going out of his way during his NBA days. However, a few instances stand out that truly sum up just how seriously Jordan took competition. All he needed was one spark to ignite the beast within.

The aptest example comes with his competition against Clyde Drexler. Drexler received a lot of praise in the season and was deemed as the best player in the league. When this hit MJ’s ear, it ticked him off. He took it personally and made it his mission to humiliate Drexler.

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When they met in the finals, Jordan went off, putting up 35.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.5 assists to win the series in games. However, it didn’t stop there. He continued to humiliate Drexler even when they were on the same team during the 1992 Olympics. This is how Michael Jordan created the aura of fear for anyone who faced off against him.

Do you think there is any player that competes the way Jordan did? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar

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Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.
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