Denny Hamlin has made no secret of his love of basketball.
Hamlin is a Charlotte Bobcats season ticket holder and tore his ACL last January during a pick up basketball game which resulted in surgery the following March. He's also become good friends with Bobcats owner and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who has tweeted the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota several times before races.
During Thursday's NASCAR Media Day it was announced that Hamlin had become the latest athlete to sign an endorsement deal with NIKE's Jordan Brand, joining the likes of New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade, and bringing the iconic brand that began in 1985 to NASCAR.
"It's a big deal for myself and really NASCAR," Hamlin explained. "The Jordan Brand has never been in NASCAR before. It is a dream come true for me. To me the Jordan Brand represents excellence in sports."
"He's always been an avid motorsports fan. He just never knew the right situation to get into NASCAR, and he felt like I was the right representative for him," Hamlin said, noting that Jordan has owned Michael Jordan Motorsports, which competes in AMA Superbikes, since 2004.
Hamlin will be sporting the iconic "Jumpman" logo on his gloves and his firesuit but not his shoes- not until fireproof Jordans are created, at least. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also added that he would like to see the brand come out with a line of apparel geared toward race fans.
"Denny's confidence and passion for racing along with his determination for excellence on the track make him a valuable addition to the Jordan Brand. We look forward to working with Denny as he continues to take his success to the next level," Jordan said in a statement.
Weekend schedule for 11 February 2011- 12 February 2011:
On Friday, Hamlin and his fellow competitors will take to the track for two sessions of Budweiser Shootout practice- first at 5 pm ET and then at 6:30 pm ET, both on SPEED, followed by the Budweiser Shootout Selection Show at 8:30 pm ET.
Saturday will see the teams host two sessions of Daytona 500 practice at 11:30 am ET and then at 2 pm ET, both on SPEED and then to kick off to the 2011 season with the Budweiser Shootout coming on at 8 pm ET on FOX.
Thanks to SB Nation, NASCAR.com, Yahoo, the Seattle Times and ESPN for the information and quotes used in this piece.
Hamlin is a Charlotte Bobcats season ticket holder and tore his ACL last January during a pick up basketball game which resulted in surgery the following March. He's also become good friends with Bobcats owner and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who has tweeted the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota several times before races.
During Thursday's NASCAR Media Day it was announced that Hamlin had become the latest athlete to sign an endorsement deal with NIKE's Jordan Brand, joining the likes of New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade, and bringing the iconic brand that began in 1985 to NASCAR.
"It's a big deal for myself and really NASCAR," Hamlin explained. "The Jordan Brand has never been in NASCAR before. It is a dream come true for me. To me the Jordan Brand represents excellence in sports."
"He's always been an avid motorsports fan. He just never knew the right situation to get into NASCAR, and he felt like I was the right representative for him," Hamlin said, noting that Jordan has owned Michael Jordan Motorsports, which competes in AMA Superbikes, since 2004.
Hamlin will be sporting the iconic "Jumpman" logo on his gloves and his firesuit but not his shoes- not until fireproof Jordans are created, at least. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also added that he would like to see the brand come out with a line of apparel geared toward race fans.
"Denny's confidence and passion for racing along with his determination for excellence on the track make him a valuable addition to the Jordan Brand. We look forward to working with Denny as he continues to take his success to the next level," Jordan said in a statement.
Weekend schedule for 11 February 2011- 12 February 2011:
On Friday, Hamlin and his fellow competitors will take to the track for two sessions of Budweiser Shootout practice- first at 5 pm ET and then at 6:30 pm ET, both on SPEED, followed by the Budweiser Shootout Selection Show at 8:30 pm ET.
Saturday will see the teams host two sessions of Daytona 500 practice at 11:30 am ET and then at 2 pm ET, both on SPEED and then to kick off to the 2011 season with the Budweiser Shootout coming on at 8 pm ET on FOX.
Thanks to SB Nation, NASCAR.com, Yahoo, the Seattle Times and ESPN for the information and quotes used in this piece.
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