“I was really nervous”: Tyler Reddick recalls meeting $3B-worth boss Michael Jordan for the first time

In a recent interview with veteran FOX journalist Bob Pockrass, Tyler Reddick recalled his first encounter with NBA legend Michael Jordan. Reddick drives full-time in the series for 23XI Racing, a two-car team owned by Jordan and Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin.

Michael Jordan, also known by his initials ‘MJ’, played 15 seasons in the NBA during which he won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. The Brooklyn native, who won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1985, made NBA’s Most Valuable Player five times (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) and NBA’s All-Star Game’s MVP three times (1988, 1996, 1998), to name just a few of his numerous accomplishments in the sport.

As per Forbes, Jordan’s net worth stands at a staggering $3 billion. Reddick claimed that he was nervous when he went to meet the legendary basketball player, also his future boss, for the first time.

“The first time I met Michael, I was really nervous honestly... like it's... you're meeting one of the greatest to ever do it,” Tyler Reddick said. “I remember just being nervous; trying not to say the wrong thing, or act like a fool or anything crazy.”

“But as I've gotten to know him better, spent more time around him...it's been nice getting to know Michael (and) him getting to know me and understand on top of it, how passionate he is about racing. From our first conversation that was something that he made even more apparent to me, but I just also been seeing it through his actions, through his excitement over these last two years, too,” Reddick added.

Tyler Reddick joined 23XI Racing, replacing Kurt Busch in 2023. The Californian started strong with the North Carolina-based outfit, amassing two victories and making the playoffs in his debut season. With his most recent win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in October, he punched his ticket into the coveted Championship race at Phoenix Raceway for the first time in his Cup career.

Tyler Reddick remains focused amid 23XI Racing’s legal battle with NASCAR

23XI Racing was one of the two teams (the other being Front Row Motorsports) that did not sign NASCAR’s newest charter agreement. The team announced through a statement in September that they did not get “an opportunity to fairly bargain for a new charter contract.”

Soon, 23XI Racing filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, the results of which are yet to be decided. However, Reddick is unfazed by all of that. He knows he cannot control the outcome and, therefore, prefers focusing on what he can control.

"It doesn't (impact me),” Reddick told Pockrass of the ongoing conflict between his team and NASCAR. “I wish I could explain to you why that's the case, but for me, I'm just focusing on what I can control — that's my race car, that's my team, that's our preparation and mindset going into the weekend.The rest is off to the side and worry about it later."

This coming Sunday, the 28-year-old speedster will start his engine alongside two-time Cup champion Joey Logano, reigning series champion Ryan Blaney and Hendrick Motorsports sensation, William Byron. Fans can watch Reddick in action on NBC from 3 pm ET onwards. Radio updates will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.