Tyler Reddick Breaks Silence on Michael Jordan Incident With Son

NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick does not see “what others see” when it comes to the viral moment involving Michael Jordan and his son, Beau, at last Sunday’s Daytona 500. Jordan, the co-owner of 23XI Racing, caught a lot of flak for allegedly making improper contact with Reddick’s son at the podium when he appeared to pinch the five-year-old in the lower back and brush his leg.

Addressing the controversy on Tuesday’s “Stephen A. Smith Show,” Reddick spoke of the close relationship his family and Jordan’s family have built since he joined 23XI Racing in 2022.

“From my perspective, I’ve gotten to know Michael and his family very well over the years I’ve been here with 23XI, and I don’t see what other people see when it comes to this,” Reddick said [H/T Awful Announcing].

“For me, it’s a huge moment; this is the biggest moment of my career,” added Reddick of his career-first Daytona 500 win, which came just months after Jordan’s 23XI Racing team settled an antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR to return to the Cup Series.

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Michael Jordan, Reddick Family Links

Reddick also highlighted other clips circulating on social media showing Jordan’s wife, Yvette, celebrating with his son, Beau, after Sunday’s win.

“It’s a huge moment for my family and for his family, and I just put that off to the side and think about the look on (Michael Jordan’s wife) Yvette’s face and the whole family and his whole group when they got to victory lane too, and just how happy everybody was celebrating together,” he said.

“So, that’s where I’m at with it.”

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Michael Jordan Yet to Respond

Further to Reddick’s point, Jordan has been seen celebrating with Reddick’s son, Beau, several times in the past, including after Reddick’s 2024 Talladega 500 win.

Also worth noting is that Reddick’s wife’s father, Jose DeLeon, was a teammate of Michael Jordan when the Chicago Bulls legend tried baseball in the early 1990s. As such, the ties between the Jordan and Reddick families go back decades, rendering Sunday’s controversy even more unwarranted. In a 2024 interview, Reddick revealed Jordan knew his future wife when she was a child.

“I’ve seen a couple photos Alexa and her mom have [with Jordan],” he told The Athletic. “But they did get to spend some time together during her dad’s time at the (Chicago) White Sox when Michael was a part of the White Sox spring training. They got to know each other through that. I think there’s even a picture — I could be wrong — of MJ holding Alexa as a baby. I feel like that’s a story I heard years ago.

“But they had some interaction. I’ve never actually asked Michael about it. I’ve wanted to, but I just haven’t.”

While Jordan’s camp has yet to officially respond to the backlash, Reddick’s dismissal of the controversy should go a long way toward silencing accusations that the NBA legend engaged in improper conduct with his son at last Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Jordan turned 63 on Tuesday.

Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan