Michael Jordan’s love for the ocean is symbolized in his $7 million yacht “Catch 23” that he uses to participate in fishing competitions like the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina and the White Marlin Open in Maryland. He also has another $115 million yacht, which he uses to vacation with his family.
Michael Jordan and his fishing team took part in the White Marlin Open and bagged the second prize of approximately $400,000 (various amounts reported by various sources near this number) for catching a 71lbs White Marlin, falling short by just 1lbs of the first prize.
In a video that went viral on social media, several fans marveled over Jordan’s luxurious yacht and speculated things like its fuel price being equivalent to the prize money and what Jordan’s reaction would be to finishing second.
“This dude just competes at everything.”
“And have used $500,000 in fuel.”
“MJ probably has more than that bet on the tournament.”
“$400,000 might almost pay for the fuel for that bad boy.”
“MJ is gonna be so pissed if he gets second place lol.”
“It’s probably 400K a month to upkeep it.”
“Ain’t even going to cover the fuel for the weekend.”
Michael Jordan is competing in the White Marlin Open this weekend with his 82-foot Bayliss fishing boat.
MJ and the Catch 23 crew are currently in second place after weighing in a 71-pound white marlin.
If the result holds, they'll walk away with $400,000 in prize money. pic.twitter.com/UuXN4jPo0o
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) August 10, 2025
As spotted in the videos on their YouTube channel, Michael Jordan was accompanied by his son, Marcus Jordan, on the expedition to try and win this competition. Marcus Jordan was recently involved in controversial news stories and was even arrested. Hence, some fans were a bit surprised to see Marcus aboard the Catch 23 for this tournament.
When Michael Jordan And His Team Caught A 442.3lbs Blue Marlin
In 2020, Michael Jordan participated in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, where his team caught a 442.3lbs Blue Marlin. While it was nowhere close to the biggest one (964lb) caught that year, it certainly garnered a lot of attention.
VIDEO: Michael Jordan and Catch 23 at Big Rock Landing Tuesday afternoon. The crew boated a blue marlin weighing 442.3 pounds. pic.twitter.com/f0b4f2J1EC
— Ken Watlington (@KWOnAir) June 9, 2020
At the time when Jordan’s team caught this fish, three other teams caught a bigger Blue Marlin than they did, and this did not sit well with Jordan’s competitive side. Eventually, the 964lb catch by another team won the tournament.
“I’d love to be back with a little bit bigger fish,” Jordan said in the post-catch interview with Big Rock TV. In the interview, he also spoke about how fishing is an excuse for him to connect to his hometown, North Carolina.
“I’m always looking for an excuse to be back in North Carolina,” Jordan said, according to Inside Carolina. “It [fishing] is a chance to come back home. I love coming back home.”
Jordan is now preparing for his return to the NBA through the media as a special contributor to NBC’s coverage of the league. It’s another type of homecoming for Jordan for the greatest player to ever touch a basketball.
