Michael Jordan is enjoying having a “quieter life.”

It has been 23 years since the Chicago Bulls superstar played his last game with the NBA, culminating with a two-year stint with the Washington Wizards after a 15-season career mostly spent with the Bulls.

And though he has not fully retreated from the spotlight —he is co-founder of the NASCAR team 23ZI Racing and famously took a landmark antitrust case to court against the organization — the spotlight that comes from racing pales in comparison to the “burden” of life as basketball’s biggest star.

Michael Jordan watches the on track action from the pit box of Bubba Wallace (#23 23XI Racing Columbia Toyota) during the running of the NASCAR Cup Seies Goodyear 400 on March 22, 2026 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington S.C© Getty ImagesMichael watching his 23XI racers

Speaking with Gayle King for CBS, Michael, 63, said of his life today: “It’s a quieter life where I’m not really the show, even though as of late, you know, I’ve been in the forefront a lot more than I probably anticipated.”

He did however note that the sport “needs it to some degree,” maintaining: “My team needs it, and I want them to see the passion that I have for winning and for the — you know, being a part of the team.”

“When I said I wanted to retire, and get to a quieter life, [I meant] I wanted to get away from basketball in terms of what I represented in that arena and how big I’ve gotten,” he further shared. “And it was such a huge burden for me in that sport.”

Michael Jordan in a grey suit and yellow tie sat down smiling, with his fiancee Yvette Prieto next to him laughing, wearing a long lepoard print dress © Ethan MillerWith his wife Yvette Prieto in 2012

“Here, the burden is not quite the same. I’m not in that same realm, even though it has evolved to be that now because of the lawsuit, obviously because of the awareness that I’m bringing to NASCAR,” he continued. 

He explained that what was most burdensome was having to live “a certain way,” adding: “Living up to — trying to maintain whatever everybody’s perspectives is for you or was for you. That is a burden, you know? And it’s a lot of people that has to endure it. And there’s a certain period of time that you can go through that, and then at some point in time you say, ‘I’m tired of…doing that.'”

Michael added that the extent to which he is in the spotlight now is “still not the same as me playing in Chicago,” and moreover it’s “something that I think keeps me alive.”

Bulls superstar Michael Jordan slams two of his 36 points, and screams, to lead the Bulls to a 105-95 win over the Detroit Pistons and even up the series 1-1 5/12, May 12, 1988© GettyThe basketball star played 13 seasons for the Bulls

During Michael’s two years with the Wizards, he made $30 million annually, making him the league’s highest-paid player at the time, and overall, he made just over $93 million over the course of his career. 

Michael Jordan smiling next to a shoe © WireImageHe makes hundreds of millions from his partnership with Nike

Then there’s also of course his historic deal with Nike; what was once a five-year, $2.5 million deal with the brand — that gave the world the iconic Air Jordan shoe — is now a line that brings Nike up to $5 billion in revenue in a year, and of that, Michael receives 5%.

Back in 2014, he became the first ever professional athlete to achieve billionaire status, and today he boasts a $4.3 billion net worth. Since then, only two others have joined the ranks: LeBron James, who has a net worth of one billion dollars, and Tiger Woods, who has a net worth of $1.1 billion.