Meme culture has become a major part of popular culture. In sports like the NBA and NASCAR, there is endless potential for such creativity. Even NBA legend Michael Jordan has found himself featured in numerous memes across social platforms. However, this time, it was his team, 23XI Racing, who recreated an NBA meme featuring their star driver, Tyler Reddick, who perhaps wasn’t aware of this!

The No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE pilot has gained popularity not only for his talent but also for his traits that set him apart from the other drivers. His clean race tactics are the result of the mental maturity to temper his aggression. He notched up the team’s first-ever Championship 4 appearance in 2024 and rose in popularity. However, he still has a long way to go, as 23XIRacing pointed out in a hilarious post in X.

Tyler Reddick ignored in favor of ‘world-class driver’

Teams and drivers have arrived at the Florida Speedway, generating excitement as the Daytona 500 beckons. As the drivers attended conferences and faced the media, 23XI Racing got an opportunity for some lighthearted fun. A photo captured Reddick sitting for a media day interview with a mic in his hand but no one to ask him questions. This was humorously juxtaposed with a scene of IndyCar legend Helio Castroneves, sitting right next to him, surrounded by people taking his pictures and interviews. The tweet caption read, “Glad to have you, @h3lio. Just not at @TylerReddick’s expense!” But this was just one part of it.

The real humor they tried to add was with the tweet’s second picture, a memorable moment from the 2019 NBA Draft. They recreated the scene where Goga Bitadze was overshadowed by the immense hype surrounding Duke prospect, Zion Williamson. The image, which went viral showed Bitadze with a somewhat sad and hopeless expression while the media covered the excited and happy Williamson. Looks like the 23XI media team has given more recent meme ideas for fans to look at.

The image reflected how current narratives play such a huge role in any sport. The media will always prefer to talk to someone who is surrounded by controversy like Castroneves is with the Open Exemption Provisional. This rule allows the ‘world-class drivers’ like the four-time Indy 500 winner, to race at the Daytona 500 without the need for qualification, adding an extra car to the grid if he fails to qualify. 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin called it a move of ‘desperation’, and after being snubbed for the media by Helio, Reddick might side with Hamlin.

However, this isn’t the first instance of Tyler Reddick and his team engaging in playful banter. Reddick and his teammate Bubba Wallace have a good bond and never resist poking fun at each other. Recently during a media day shoot, Bubba Wallace shared a fun tweet captioned, “Someone please media train @TylerReddick”. This came after Reddick repeatedly fluffed his lines during a media shoot for their sponsor, McDonald’s.

While you get to learn about the fun side of Tyler Reddick from his team, his wife, Alexa DeLeon, also shared glimpses into the humorous aspects of his personal life.

Alexa’s three important words for her husband

Last month, Tyler Reddick shared an Instagram post highlighting his presence at the premiere of “Flight Risk,” the action thriller directed by Mel Gibson. Reddick captioned the post, “Great night at the Flight Risk premiere. Thank you for having me!” While his sharp-looking pictures garnered attention and compliments from fans, it didn’t take long for his wife, Alexa, to inject a lighthearted family moment into the conversation. Proving who’s the real boss at home, she commented, “Cut yr hair”.

There have been other instances also from his household that put Reddick in an awkward situation. Where NASCAR.com mentioned, “Tyler’s such a likable guy that his only persistent feud seems to be with Zoom. He’s had several technical difficulties with the software, but nothing topped the time his cat bum-rushed his media availability. The cat did not take questions. It’s a cat. They’re rude.” His cat trespassed his screen while he was over a Zoom call. 

The Reddick couple has three cats named Tux, Mila, and Winnie, whom he considers like his family. Speaking of Winnie, he once said, “She’s really sweet to my kids, and she took care of all the mice and snakes around the house, Felt like she earned her place.” Tyler Reddick’s love for cats creates the perfect balance at 23XI Racing, as Bubba Wallace is a dog person and has a dog named Asher. So while they drive for the same team on the track, their preferences for furry companions seem to differ.

After being snubbed by the media, Reddick will have his beautiful family to provide him with some solace as the season is about to start. However, by June his role in the family will take on new significance as his wife, Alexa, is due to deliver their first child! The 2025 season promises to be one full of thrill and excitement for Reddick as he is set to embark on new personal journeys while he defies expectations on the track.