Michael Jordan took his $8 million fishing boat, ‘Catch 23’, to the White Marlin Open competition. The 84-foot-long vessel, wrapped in elephant print, costs a whopping $1 million annually to operate.

From shooting hoops to catching fish, Michael Jordan is a competitive man. The 60-year-old sports legend was recently in Ocean City, Maryland, for the White Marlin Open. The six-time NBA champion was accompanied by his $8 million “Catch 23” boat. Jordan and his boat participated for the fourth time this year in the five-day competition for fantastic $10 million prize money. The White Marlin Open, a prestigious contest, required fishing for three days with 30 different categories.

Via Twitter / @JoePompliano
Joe Pompliano tweeted, ‘Michael Jordan is in Ocean City, Maryland, this weekend competing in the White Marlin Open. MJ’s boat is an $8 million custom 84-foot Viking wrapped in elephant print — and it costs $1 million annually to operate. He’ll be competing for $10 million in prize money this weekend.’ He also shared that the $8 million custom craft matches Jordan’s $60 million private jet, which is also wrapped in elephant print.

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Jordan may have missed the top spot this year, but he still has big catches to boast. In 2021, the NBA MVP reeled a 25-pound dolphin, and the following year, they bagged the Numero Uno spot in the Mid-Atlantic Tournament, wherein his crew secured a 73 lb. White Marlin. The living legend admitted he enjoyed fishing as his new sport to help him learn patience.

“Now, the challenge is to calm those nerves. That is why I do a lot more fishing now,” said Jordan in an interview with ABC’s Australian Story in 2021. He said, “I would have never thought I would get on a boat and go fishing, but the combination of patience and trying to catch a fish, trying to be patient. It’s not gonna happen. You can’t make it happen. You just got to be ready when it does happen.” The legend added, “Those are all things that I think calms me down a lot more than if I’m playing any sport, if I’m playing gold, or if I’m doing anything competitive because I think that’s what I need. That’s the therapy that I need to help soothe some of these competitive juices that I have.”

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John Ols with his prize winning catch.Via Facebook / @White Marlin Open

The 50th annual White Marlin Open was won by John Ols, a Maryland resident who reeled in a 640.5-pound blue marlin. He took home an excellent $6.2 million. Jordan’s Catch 23 is an 81 feet beauty built in the United States of America by Viking. The stealthy ship boasts a top speed is 40.0 kn and is powered by two MTU diesel engines. The boat features four staterooms and is a preferred Sportfishing yacht for tournaments.