Tyler Reddick shut down the backlash to Michael Jordan's viral celebration with his 6-year-old son following his win at the Daytona 500 over the weekend. Speaking about the moment with Stephen A. Smith on his SiriusXM show, Tuesday, Reddick defended the NBA legend and confirmed that nothing inappropriate occurred.
"From my perspective, I’ve gotten to know Michael and his family very well over the years I’ve been here with 23XI," Reddick said. "I don’t see what other people see when it comes to this. For me, it’s a huge moment. This is the biggest moment of my career. 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 (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. So, that’s where I’m at with it."
It isn't the first time Reddick has been asked about the incident involving Michael Jordan since Sunday's victory. TMZ caught up with him earlier in the week, but he dodged their question about the controversy. Instead, his rep. chimed in to say: “We’re not going to talk about that."
Why Was Michael Jordan With Tyler Reddick?
Michael Jordan teamed up with Tyler Reddick his NASCAR team, 23XI Racing. Sunday marked his first victory as co-owner of the team. “I can’t even believe it. It was so gratifying,” he told Fox Sports after the race. “We had four guys that were really fighting, helping each other out. You never know how these races are going to end. You just try to survive."
As for the viral video of Jordan with Reddick's son, it shows him pinching and poking the 6-year-old from behind, seemingly trying to get his attention. Tons of people have been reacting to it online, including 50 Cent.
