'Creepy': Michael Jordan Under Fire for 'Inappropriately' Touching Young Boy On-Camera at NASCAR Event
Michael Jordan was criticized for his strange-looking reaction with a 6-year-old boy.
Feb. 16 2026, Published 6:50 p.m. ET
Michael Jordan is facing backlash after a video of his bizarre interaction with a young boy at the Daytona 500 went viral, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On Sunday, February 15, the former basketball pro was spotted appearing to pinch at a child's shirt near his backside and brush the back of his upper legs. The boy, who was later identified as stock car driver Tyler Reddick's 6-year-old son, Beau, did not appear to react except to briefly glance back at Jordan at one point.
Michael Jordan Called Out On Social Media
Jordan was seen touching a young boy's back and legs at a NASCAR event.
As the clip circulated on social media, many users were left baffled and wondering if the video had been generated by AI. Others expressed their shock and disgust at the seemingly "creepy" interaction between the child and the 62-year-old, who is also a grandfather.
One X user penned, "That’s inappropriate unless that’s his child or they have a good relationship," and another said, "I went from 'sure Jan' to 'ummm ok that was bizarre.'"
A third user posted, "Yikes. I seriously doubt he intended to seem creepy, but in the current climate following the release of the Epstein files, perhaps all famous people should stand 6 feet away from children who aren’t their own. We are in a very dark place right now."
Some social media users defended the basketball legend.
However, some commenters defended Jordan, claiming the moment seemed playful. Others attempted to explain a potential reason behind the awkward interaction, pointing out that the boy's shirt had clearly gotten wet – potentially from a spilled beer or Gatorade – and Jordan had either been attempting to help him dry off, or possibly get a piece of ice out of his clothing.
Another person suggested the former athlete simply may not have realized how inappropriate the touch would appear to others.
"Sometimes, when someone does something this inappropriate to a child in public, the idea of m-------- kids is so outside the realm of their mentality that they could accidentally cross boundaries they never intended to cross," the X user wrote. "Hopefully that's the case for MJ. Either way, stop."
Jordan co-founded a NASCAR Cup Series team with Denny Hamlin years after his basketball career ended.
Before the NASCAR event, Jordan spoke with Fox Sports about 23XI Racing, a NASCAR Cup Series team that he founded alongside pro race car driver Denny Hamlin.
While speaking with the outlet, he said he thought they had a "good team" with "good leaders" and expressed his hopes that "one of the four" would win, per HotNewHipHop.com.
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The basketball icon did not immediately publicly address the viral video.
"We got a couple of young kids that are learning. We've got a couple of veterans that are going to be up front," he said.
"I want to see us at the end, all four cars, which is very difficult, especially at a race like this. You just need to avoid the big one. But if we can put ourselves in a good position, that’s all I’ll ever ask for."
Jordan has yet to publicly address the context of the viral video as of the time of this publication.
