Michael Jordan, Jason Robins, and Carsten Koerl at the SBC Summit Lisbon
Portugal.—October 6, 2026 www.zonadeazar.com Michael Jordan, global basketball icon, philanthropist, and investor; Jason Robins, CEO and Co-Founder of DraftKings; and Carsten Koerl, CEO and Founder of Sportradar, headlined one of the most anticipated sessions on the first day of the SBC Summit Lisbon 2026, in a conversation that covered the present and future of sports, betting, data, artificial intelligence, technology, and fan engagement.
The conversation, moderated by Kirsty Gallacher, broadcaster, journalist, and former Sky Sports News anchor, took place during the first day of the SBC Summit Lisbon, held from September 29 to October 1 at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and MEO Arena.
With three very different perspectives—that of the athlete and investor, the operator, and the global provider of sports technology and data—the panel discussed how the sports experience is changing and just how far personalization, data analytics, and artificial intelligence can go.
Michael Jordan: Authenticity as a Starting Point
Jordan was the first to speak and began by discussing his current role as an investor.
For the NBA legend, getting involved with a company or project involves much more than just lending his image: there must be an authentic connection to what it represents.
He explained that when he enters into agreements with companies like DraftKings or Sportradar, he is aware that he also becomes a marketing vehicle, and therefore that partnership must feel genuine to the consumer.
Jordan also pointed out some of the major changes he’s observed in sports since his playing days: the growth of women’s sports, the enormous importance content has taken on, and an audience seeking new ways to connect with athletes and competitions.
NASCAR and the Search for Unconventional Opportunities
Gallacher then steered the conversation toward NASCAR, one of Jordan’s sports investments.
The former Chicago Bulls player recalled growing up around racing with his family and believed that NASCAR was a sport that had been underestimated and still had room to connect with new audiences.
Jordan compared that potential to the phenomenon generated by Formula 1 through new content and its expansion in the United States, and he also highlighted how other sports are moving beyond their traditional territories to conquer new markets.
His philosophy as an investor, he explained, is to identify opportunities where he can make an impact and help transform or elevate a product.
“If I can make an impact or change it, then it’s worth the challenge,” he summarized.
Carsten Koerl: When Data Becomes Part of the Story
The conversation then turned to Carsten Koerl and the role that sports data currently plays.
The CEO and Founder of Sportradar explained that data is no longer simply information provided for others to process: today, it is part of the product itself and the narrative surrounding the sport.
As an example, he described technologies capable of processing enormous volumes of data from NBA games and analyzing multiple body points and player movements to anticipate—using artificial intelligence—what might happen in the next few seconds of a play.
According to Koerl, this information not only opens up possibilities for sports betting but also for creating new entertainment and engagement experiences.
Data thus shifts from describing what happened to helping build the experience of what is happening in real time.
Jason Robins and the Challenge of Prediction Markets
Jason Robins addressed one of the topics currently generating the most buzz in the U.S. market: prediction markets.
The CEO and Co-Founder of DraftKings noted that their evolution will depend largely on the legal and regulatory process in the United States, the outcome of which remains uncertain.
Given this scenario, he explained that DraftKings must prepare for various possibilities: actively participating if prediction markets establish themselves as a sustainable industry while, at the same time, preserving its position and regulatory relationships in the states where it operates an online sportsbook.
For Robins, it is precisely these complex scenarios that force companies to think creatively and can create opportunities to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Michael Jordan: “All I care about is the end of the game”
One of the most interesting moments came when Gallacher asked Jordan what it would have been like to compete in today’s sports landscape, where fans, platforms, and companies can track virtually every move an athlete makes and analyze a volume of statistics that would have been unthinkable for much of his career.
Jordan was unequivocal: his priority would still have been playing.
“All I care about is the end of the game. And if we win, I don’t care who won the bet or who didn’t win the bet. I know I won the game.”
The six-time NBA champion explained that, as an athlete, his focus was on the opponent and on what he could control on the court—not on statistics or on who was betting for or against the Bulls.
He acknowledged, however, that today’s athletes face a different landscape. In addition to athletic performance, they must think about their personal brand, contracts, public exposure, and multiple external factors.
Jordan admitted that he doesn’t envy that added pressure and said he’s glad he competed during the era he did.
Opportunities off the court may have changed, he noted, but neither his passion nor his understanding of basketball has.
Koerl: AI, Personalization, and a New Generation of Products
Koerl took the floor again to look toward the future of the fan experience.
According to the executive, younger generations are increasingly following players rather than just teams—a trend that is also influencing sports betting and increasing the need for much more in-depth information about each athlete.
The founder of Sportradar also explained how the company is experimenting with multiple artificial intelligence agents to accelerate product development processes that previously required hundreds of hours of work.
Design, mathematical models, compliance, security, and testing can be handled by different agents working in parallel.
For Koerl, the great opportunity presented by artificial intelligence lies not only in reducing costs or increasing efficiency.
True innovation emerges when AI enables the creation of new products and experiences.
Robins: Responsible Gaming Must Be Part of the DNA
Another key focus of the event was Responsible Gaming.
Robins argued that responsibility cannot be limited to a set of procedures but must be part of the culture of the entire organization.
The executive explained that DraftKings focuses both on the relationship between betting and athletes and on tools designed for consumers, including limits, cooling-off periods, and mechanisms that allow users to manage how much money and time they devote to the activity.
For Robins, the goal is to provide users with tools to make decisions and maintain a sustainable relationship with entertainment.
He also emphasized that the company’s focus is on creating positive experiences and long-term relationships with its customers, rather than pursuing only short-term results.
The Growth of iGaming and Regulated Markets
When discussing the growth of iGaming, Robins once again placed the consumer at the center.
He explained that DraftKings seeks to offer the products its customers demand wherever it can do so within legal and regulated markets.
In his view, when there is high demand, the question is not simply whether the consumer will access a certain product, but whether they will do so within a regulated environment—with greater protections and controls—or through the illegal market.
Jordan on the World of Data and Betting
One of the most entertaining exchanges during the panel took place when Koerl demonstrated an experience that combined live sports, data, and gaming and asked for Jordan’s opinion.
The former player’s response once again highlighted the difference between a technological perspective and an athlete’s mindset.
Jordan explained that an athlete doesn’t step onto the court thinking about how many times he’ll go left or right simply because a statistic indicates a certain trend. He reacts to the defense and looks for the best available option to win.
And true to his legendary confidence, he added a very Michael Jordan-esque twist: if the analysis tries to find a weakness to exploit, the problem is that he never considered himself to have one.
Uncertainty, the participants agreed, is precisely part of what makes sports appealing: there may be data, models, and probabilities, but the athlete continues to make decisions in real time, and the outcome is never entirely predetermined.
Competitiveness: There Was a Pretty Obvious Answer
Toward the end, Gallacher lightened the mood and posed a seemingly simple question: Who was the most competitive person on the panel?
The answer seemed pretty clear even before Jordan spoke.
The former basketball player acknowledged that he is “very, very competitive,” but drew a fundamental distinction between himself and his fellow panelists:
“I don’t like to lose.”
The exchange quickly turned into golf-related anecdotes, jokes, and challenges, making it clear that, decades after his last games with the Bulls, Michael Jordan’s competitive spirit remains intact.
Sports, Data, and Technology: An Increasingly Connected Experience
The discussion between Michael Jordan, Jason Robins, and Carsten Koerl offered three complementary perspectives on the same transformation.
From the competitive mindset and authenticity championed by Jordan, through Robins’ focus on the consumer, regulation, and responsible gaming, to Koerl’s vision of artificial intelligence, real-time data, and personalization, the panel demonstrated the extent to which sports, technology, entertainment, and gaming are now part of an increasingly connected ecosystem.
It also left us with a certainty that not even algorithms seem capable of changing: no matter how much data and predictive power there is, the unpredictability of sports remains an essential part of its magic.
Zona de Azar – Special Coverage from SBC Summit Lisbon 2026.
Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com
