Brad Daugherty's historic NASCAR accomplishment featured on HBO's 'Real Sports'
Former Cleveland Cavs center and current analysts Brad Daugherty receives the spotlight on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” Tuesday night on HBO and streaming on MAX.
Yes, Daugherty’s basketball playing days are a long way behind him, and although he was a five-time NBA All-Star and his number hangs from the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the former baller has made an impact in another sport.
Cavs fans shook their heads in wonder when as a player Daugherty revealed his love for NASCAR and his appreciation for one of that sports GOATS – Richard Petty.
“No one understood it. No one understood it,” Daugherty tells “Real Sports” correspondent Jonathan Jones. “But I would explain it to people and talk to people all the time. They just don't get it. They don't get it."
After all, 7-foot Black dudes from North Carolina – a college basketball mecca – aren’t supposed to be into stock car racing.
“We were just racing people,” Daugherty said of his family.
That love of the sport eventually manifested itself in Daugherty becoming the first Black owner of a race team to when the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s premiere event.
For those who have access to HBO, the 12-minute interview proves compelling in that Daugherty explains how he had to go about getting into NASCAR team ownership (Hint: it wasn’t easy) to how his NBA rivalry with Michael Jordan, who proved to be the Cavs’ nemesis on more than one occasion in the playoffs, has carried over to racing.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Brad Daugherty's historic Daytona 500 team win gets recognition on HBO
