Michael Jordan has divided social media over the way he celebrated his NASCAR team’s historic Daytona 500 victory with a young child.
The NBA icon was on the podium celebrating his team’s greatest success when the incident unfolded with driver Tyler Reddick’s six-year-old son Beau.
Jordan was caught on camera appearing to grab at the young child’s lower back and bottom area.
Critics have questioned why he did so, but Jordan’s defenders believe he was trying to remove ice that had fallen down Beau’s shirt during the wild celebrations.
Daily Mail has contracted Jordan’s representatives, NASCAR and 23XI Racing for comment.
The clip has since gone viral on social media and some users have been quick to criticize Jordan’s actions.
Michael Jordan has been criticized for the way he celebrated his team’s Daytona 500 victory
Jordan appeared to grab at the lower back and bottom area of Tyler Reddick’s son Beau, 6
One wrote: ‘I can’t think of a single scenario where this is okay. Not even one.’
Another commented: ‘You can’t be doing this. Just not on, even if you are a star. That child looked very uncomfortable.’
A third added: ‘I feel that was very inappropriate behavior by Michael Jordan.’
‘Looks very inappropriate to me,’ another said.
A fifth responded: ‘You don’t play with a child that way.’
But others have rushed to Jordan’s defense, with radio host and podcaster ‘Bubba the Love Sponge’ commenting: ‘Michael Jordan reaching into Tyler Reddick’s son’s waistband went viral fast.
‘But if you actually watch it closely, you can see chunks of ice packed in the kid’s back. First glance it looks bad. Second glance looks like someone helping a kid who had ice shoved down his shirt.’
Another replied: ‘He’s just playing with the kid. People will look for anything that isn’t there!’
‘Come on! This is nothing more than just playing with the kid… why build a mountain out of a molehill,’ another stated.
Another added: ‘He’s probably like family with them. He’s joking around having fun. Leave the man alone.’
The NBA icon bear-hugged Reddick and then they jointly hoisted the Harley J. Earl trophy
The incident threatens to spoil what was otherwise a brilliant day for Jordan and his 23XI Racing team.
The NBA Hall of Famer bear-hugged Reddick in the victory lane and then jointly hoisted the Harley J. Earl trophy with the 23XI Racing driver.
Jordan, who turns 63 on Tuesday, will get a Daytona 500 ring for his birthday and made it known in victory lane he wears a size 13. ‘It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won´t even know,’ Jordan said.
Reddick, in a Toyota, led only one lap Sunday: the one to the checkered flag. He was the 25th different driver to lead a lap for a new Daytona 500 record.
Winless last year, Reddick was primarily focused on his infant son Rookie after he was found to have a tumor in his chest that affected his heart.
Jordan was the face of the December federal antitrust lawsuit that NASCAR settled on the ninth day of trial. The settlement changed the revenue-sharing model in the United States’ top motorsports series.
Jordan watched the win from a suite overlooking the superspeedway built by the France family – NASCAR founders and private owners – that he just beat in federal court. NASCAR chairman Jim France, who was personally a defendant in the suit, went to victory lane to congratulate the winners.
‘I can´t even believe it. It was so gratifying,’ Jordan said of the victory.
‘You never know how these races are going to end. You just try to survive. We hung in there all day. Great strategy by the team, and we gave ourselves a chance at the end. Look, I’m ecstatic.’