“A Kid Michael Jordan Loves Like It’s His Own”: Stephen A Smith Defends MJ Amid Daytona 500 Controversy

Michael Jordan added yet another ring to his hardware collection when Racing 23XI’s Tyler Reddick won the “Great American Race” at the Daytona International Speedway. However, MJ’s celebration was cut short after a rather unsettling controversy began brewing during the festivities.

“It feels like I won a championship but until I get my ring, I won’t even know,” said Jordan who was in a euphoric frenzy. His celebratory ways were understandable given how much money and time he’s put into this passion of his.

However, it all came to a halt when he was seemingly caught on camera touching the lower region of Tyler Reddick’s son’s back repeatedly during the celebrations. Fans were outraged as one fan even took to X to say he’s throwing his Jordans away.

A tough watch for sure. But there is quite a bit of context missing from here and an in-depth analysis of what the video showcases needs to be done.

Stephen A Smith took to his show to defend Jordan. He didn’t mince his words and claimed people need to be more attentive when it comes to disparaging public figures with little proof.

“You should be very hesitant to impute the integrity of certain people who are as accomplished as much as MJ.”

SAS went on to say, “It’s a kid Michael Jordan loves like it’s his own kid. It’s a kid he’s known for years.”

This is true as Reddick and Jordan have indeed known each other for years. And just as importantly, it has been confirmed that before the video was taken, everyone on stage was drenched in an ice bath for celebratory purposes.

Using this context, it seems evident that Jordan was merely tugging on the kid’s shirt to dry it off and his hands stayed on the shirt. Now, it should be noted that he went on to, what looks like, ‘itch’ the back of his leg along with tugging at his shirt.

Smith continued by saying, “Today is his 63rd birthday. Just won the Daytona 500. Playing around with a kid while his father was standing right there, and that’s the kind of conclusion we jump too? I saw the video. It’s a non-story in my opinion.”

Reddick came forth and commented on this video as well. “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.”

There hasn’t been any statement from Jordan’s camp regarding the situation as of yet. From the looks of it, with Reddick himself coming out in support of MJ, this is could very well be a “non-story” as Stephen A stated.

On the flip-side, this shouldn’t be dismissed entirely as conclusive proof needs to be presented to acquit MJ from the eyes of the public and rightfully so.