Michael Jordan appeared to create another iconic moment after Tyler Reddick’s Daytona 500 win on Sunday— or did he? That was the question prompted by many on social media.
There was one image of Jordan hugging the Harley J. Earl trophy in 23XI gear nearly in the same pose from his outstanding the night the Bulls beat the Lakers for their first championship in 1991. If you consulted the internet about the legitimacy snapshot, you would’ve gotten mixed results.
Everyone thought it was AI. Grok says it isn’t, though it can’t find it anywhere else except for a tweet with a bunch of copies. Not even on the FOX Sports page it’s apparently from. What a lot of confusion over one photo. But it does look great, fake or not.
This photo of Michael Jordan with his Daytona 500 trophy is ICONIC. 🏆🥶
(via @FOXSports) pic.twitter.com/9yVkIpgPuD
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 16, 2026
As for the race itself, Reddick brought home his first career Daytona 500 win. This was by far Jordan’s biggest victory as a NASCAR team owner. Out of the four 23XI drivers, three of them scored top-ten finishes in the Great American Race. Reddick picked up his ninth career Cup Series win and first trip to victory lane in over a year. He led only one lap, but it was the one that counted the most.
Jordan becomes just the second former NBA player turned owner to win the 500. Brad Daughtery’s Hyak Motorsports saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr. take home the win at Daytona three years ago. The pair of UNC Tar Heel teammates will forever be known as first to crossover and pick up a NASCAR ring for the crown jewel event.
