Michael Jordan Under Fire for Inappropriately Touching Little Boy at NASCAR Event: Watch

Michael Jordan is facing backlash after a video from a recent NASCAR event sparked major debate online.

On Sunday, February 15, the NBA Hall of Famer was criticized across social media after footage showed him reaching toward a young boy during a Daytona 500 celebration. In the clip, Jordan appears to touch the child’s legs and tug at his T-shirt while interacting with him.

The moment quickly went viral — and not everyone was happy about it. One X user reposted the video and wrote, “What is Michael Jordan doing 😭😭😭.”

“Interesting celebration choice by Michael Jordan after winning the Daytona 500,” another person commented.

A third user claimed, “Michael Jordan is currently facing backlash after inappropriately touching a child during live television.”

“Michael ‘Jeffery”’ Jordan 😭,” someone else added, referencing convicted s-- offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“That’s inappropriate unless that’s his child or they have a good relationship,” another user wrote.

Still, others rushed to defend the sports icon.

“Typical uncle vibes nothing crazy🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️,” one supporter posted.

As of Monday, February 16, neither Jordan nor his racing team, 23XI Racing, had addressed the controversy.

The viral moment comes as Jordan has also been making headlines for speaking out about his recent courtroom battle with NASCAR.

In December 2025, the two sides settled their antitrust lawsuit in North Carolina after eight days in court. NASCAR ultimately agreed to grant teams the permanent charters they had been fighting for. Jordan had been the lead plaintiff in the case, accusing the organization of acting like a “monopolistic bully.”

Now, with the legal fight behind him, Jordan said he’s focused on moving the sport forward.

In a rare live with Fox during the Daytona 500, he spoke about turning the page.

“The thing is that both sides had been somewhat at a stalemate, and we both needed to have conversations about change, about how we can grow this sport,” Jordan explained. “Unfortunately, we had to go through what we had to go through last summer. But I think coming out of that, we have a much better appreciation for each other, and I think it opens up conversations amongst each other to continue to grow the game.”

“Don't forget about the fans. The fans make this game so enjoyable to watch. As much as we can listen, change, please the fans, please the teams, and continually grow the sport, I think everybody is going to be ok,” he added.

A charter in NASCAR works similarly to a franchise model in other professional sports leagues. It guarantees 36 teams a spot in every top-level Cup Series race and secures them a share of revenue.

The charter system began in 2016, but for more than two years, teams argued that the agreements needed to become permanent instead of being revocable by NASCAR. They also pushed for changes to revenue sharing.

Jordan testified early in the trial that as a relatively new team owner — 23XI Racing launched in 2021 — he believes he is in a position to challenge the system.

After eight days of testimony, the case appeared to tilt against NASCAR, with legal observers noting the organization seemed more focused on limiting damages than proving it had not violated antitrust laws.