Michael Jordan walked into a federal courtroom on Monday, ready to stare down NASCAR’s power structure. Instead, a potential juror handed him the kind of reality check only a fellow Tar Heel could get away with, a reminder that UNC football’s first season under Bill Belichick hasn’t exactly gone according to plan.

Jordan’s reaction? A head shake. A laugh. And a moment that instantly became the most human snapshot of the entire day.

Jordan was in Charlotte for the start of a landmark antitrust trial involving 23XI Racing, the NASCAR team he co-owns with Denny Hamlin. The lawsuit challenges the sport’s charter system and could potentially reshape how teams earn revenue, grow, and compete.

But before opening arguments, the courtroom had to find jurors who could treat Michael Jordan like a regular person, a tall order in North Carolina.

One potential juror admitted he grew up with Jordan posters on his bedroom wall. Another simply said, “I like Mike.” A third winked at him on the way out. Judge Kenneth Bell dismissed multiple jurors for being a little too fond of MJ. And then came the moment that broke the room. A potential juror, trying to show he wasn’t biased, said: “I’m a North Carolina fan… but the football team at Jordan’s alma mater isn’t doing too well right now.”

Jordan shook his head and laughed. No words. No analysis. Just the reaction every UNC fan has had at some point this season. The comment wasn’t wrong. UNC finished 4–8 in its first year under Bill Belichick, a season that opened with national intrigue and ended with a 42–19 loss to NC State and no bowl game.

Belichick arrived in Chapel Hill with a six-time Super Bowl resume and expectations that felt bigger than the ACC. Early wins over Charlotte, Richmond, Syracuse, and Stanford offered some optimism at 4–3, but the back half of the season unraveled quickly.

UNC fans have spent weeks shaking their heads, wondering how a year that started with so much curiosity drifted into frustration. Jordan’s reaction in court matched that sentiment perfectly, not criticism, not disappointment, just the honest laugh of someone who loves the school and knows a tough season when he sees one.

Meanwhile, Jordan Is Fighting a Much Bigger Battle

As entertaining as the UNC moment was, Jordan wasn’t in court to discuss football.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are suing NASCAR, alleging that the charter system gives the sanctioning body too much control over:

• revenue distribution

• Team participation guarantees

• track access

• and long-term competitive structure

The plaintiffs argue the current model limits growth and keeps new teams at a financial disadvantage. NASCAR denies the claims.

Jordan is not there as a celebrity; he’s attending as a hands-on co-owner with a direct stake in the outcome. His presence signals how significant this case could be for the future of NASCAR economics.

Still, the UNC jab showed that even in the middle of a potential industry-shaping legal fight, Jordan’s connection to Chapel Hill follows him everywhere.

Jordan rarely inserts himself into UNC football conversations. He rarely comments publicly on the program. That’s why the tiny, unfiltered laugh mattered.

It was the clearest look yet at how even the school’s most iconic alum is processing the Belichick era: a little disbelief, a little resignation, and the kind of humor that says, “Yep… that’s where we are right now.”

He just reacted like a Tar Heel. Even legends can’t hide that.