The annual tradition to jet away continues in the Jordan household. As usual, on his trip, his wife, Yvette Prieto, accompanied him, and they used the $70 million Gulfstream G650ER to explore Portugal. Michael Jordan and his family first landed in Porto. Later, the couple changed their destination to Lisbon, the capital city. Now, they are in another country and using multimillion-dollar superyachts during their vacation. But this comes across as an attempt to escape from the business nightmare.
For context, MJ and his owned team 23XI Racing and the other team Front Row Motorsports lost in a legal battle to NASCAR. The teams previously filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in 2024 over charter agreements and alleged anti-competitive practices. After a preliminary injunction allowed them to keep racing as chartered entries, a recent court ruling overturned that decision. Now, the three-judge federal appellate panel ruled Thursday in favor of NASCAR. Thus, making the future of 23XI Racing uncertain.
But one thing remains certain is Michael Jordan is not changing his family time with any business issues. As per the Daily Mail, the Bulls legend touched down on the picturesque Italian island with his extended family. Apart from his wife Prieto and their two twin daughters, MJ’s in-laws also joined in. His father-in-law, Carlos Prieto Sr, and brother-in-law Carlos Jr, whose wife also joined the European getaway to Sardinia. It’s the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, and that experience has always been part of the family getaway.
The Mediterranean is the destination of choice for Jordan, Prieto, and their two girls. They previously cruised around making extravagant pit stops at some of the most luxurious destinations in Europe, including Monaco, St. Tropez, Portofino, and Barcelona. Amidst this, what does the NASCAR future actually mean for MJ?
Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing has an uncertain future
The co-owner, Denny Hamlin, made his stance clear about the possibility of losing their charter after a recent court ruling. “Same as what we said in December is that we’re committed to run this season open if we have to, even before they decided on the injunction.” He seemed sure, but the future is not that straightforward for him or MJ.
The new ruling will not take effect for two weeks, giving 23XI and FRM time to file an appeal. If the decision stands, both teams will lose their charter status for the remainder of the 2025 season (and further). This means they would have to compete as open teams. That’s more economic losses for the team. They face the uncertainty of qualifying for each race without the guaranteed entry and financial benefits that charters provide, plus the financial implications of losing charter status are severe.
Charters guarantee teams a share of NASCAR’s lucrative broadcasting deal revenue. The estimated annual revenue generated by a charter is pegged at around $8 to $9 million. Apart from that, each charter is worth between $10 million and $50 million when sold. Open teams, by contrast, receive substantially less. Right now, the 6x NBA champion is prioritizing his family, but when he comes back, this issue will be staring him in the face.
The post Michael Jordan Escorted to Italy as Lisbon Trip Ends Amid NASCAR Lawsuit Verdict appeared first on EssentiallySports.
