Stephen A. Smith Defends Michael Jordan Over Viral Video Accusing NBA Legend of Inappropriate Behavior

Stephen A. Smith takes Michael Jordan's side amid the public outrage over his controversial Daytona 500 celebration.

Stephen A. Smith Defends Michael Jordan Over Viral Video Accusing NBA Legend of Inappropriate Behavior

Stephen A. Smith on Michael Jordan (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Michael Jordan faced criticism after a viral video appeared to show him inappropriately interacting with Tyler Reddick's son during Daytona 500 celebrations.
  • Stephen A. Smith defended Jordan, emphasizing the need for context and caution in judging his character based on the clip.
  • Tyler Reddick expressed support for Jordan, stating he did not see any issue with the interaction and values their close relationship.

Michael Jordan celebrated his 63rd birthday on Tuesday. Arguably the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball, Jordan is one of the few athletes in the world to transcend their respective sport. The Chicago Bulls legend has gone on to make a name for himself off the court as well. Just like his NBA career, Jordan has achieved immense success in his business ventures.

A few months ago, Michael Jordan was involved in a controversial charter lawsuit against NASCAR, which was settled outside the court after two weeks of ugly trial. Six years after making their debut at the 2021 Daytona 500, driven by Tyler Reddick, the team was on a mission after coming up short last year.

This year, Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Reddick finally earned their redemption. It marked the first win at the crown jewel event for the driver and the TRD team. The Daytona 500 win was another addition to Jordan’s long list of honors. Jordan reiterated that the race victory was the product of the solid strategy the team employed at the race and felt like he himself won the championship.

While Jordan added another ring, his celebration was cut short after a rather unsettling controversy began brewing during the festivities. During the celebration, a clip of the NBA legend seemingly having an inappropriate interaction with Reddick’s son, Beau, went viral.

The clip came under public scrutiny. Jordan faced criticism from fans on social media, and American sports analyst Stephen A. Smith, on his “Straight Shooter” show, defended Michael Jordan.

In the aftermath of that victory, Jordan was playing around. There’s a video circulating about him with a little kid. It happened to be Tyler’s kid. Jordan was tickling his leg. And a lot of people use that as an impetus to touch on the inappropriateness involving Michael Jordan. And I’m not going to get into all of that. I’m not here to comment on viral clips without full context. You should be very hesitant to impute the integrity of certain people who have accomplished as much as MJ.

Smith continued that Jordan would not argue about people accusing him online of making an inappropriate gesture. It is unfortunate that such a big moment for the driver and the team has been overshadowed by controversy.

Fans react to Stephen A. Smith’s defense of Michael Jordan

While Smith spoke in defense of Jordan, the internet was not so forgiving. The public were quick to jump to conclusions and expressed their opinions across social media.

Several fans were not happy with Smith’s statements and questioned the ESPN analyst if he would do the same for LeBron James. Smith and James have shared a bit of animosity towards each other after the Lakers star confronted Smith over some of the comments he made about his son, Bronny James.

Tyler Reddick’s response to the Michael Jordan controversy

While the public left no stone unturned in being critical of Jordan, the controversy came to Reddick’s attention. It seemed like Reddick had no issues with what happened despite the public opinion.

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.

Tyler Reddick and Michael Jordan
Tyler Reddick and Michael Jordan (Image credits – The New York Times)

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. For me, it’s a huge moment, this is the biggest moment of my career.

Jordan has made no comments on the viral clip. It looks like he won’t have to, as Reddick did not see anything wrong with it. For now, he just wants to enjoy the championship win.

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