Considered the greatest player the NBA has ever produced, his hobby of gambling and betting has somewhat caused Michael Jordan’s image to decline somewhat in the eyes of fans.
“You don’t have to be a sports connoisseur, you’ve definitely heard of Michael Jordan and know about him,” is a familiar saying in TV shows with the participation of the NBA legend. .
Michael Jordan is a global superstar.
Michael Jordan is not only the hero of the Chicago Bulls, he is also the person who promotes the image of the NBA to the whole world. During the peak of his career, Michael Jordan was one of the most famous names in the sports world. That is beyond dispute.
His competitive nature, always putting victory first, is one of the important factors that helped Michael Jordan have a great career and recognition from fans around the world. However, this learnable nature of the 57-year-old legend also brought him troubles outside the football field, most specifically scandals related to gambling and betting.
Below are the craziest betting stories and one of these stories has made his image worse in the eyes of fans.
On trips with teammates, gambling and large bets are common if Michael Jordan is involved.
$100,000 for rock, paper, scissors
Believe it or not, that’s one of the ways Michael Jordan uses money to bet. Maybe for many people, it’s a huge amount of money, but for the 6-time NBA champion, it’s nothing more than pocket change.
The above share comes from one of Michael’s former teammates, Jay Williams. Although Williams only played 75 games for the Bulls before having a traffic accident, at least Jay Williams was exposed and understood why people said Michael Jordan was a gambling addict.
Betting on golf with a notorious drug trafficker
Even giving up visiting the US President to go golfing with a drug lord, it can only be Michael Jordan.
After the 1991 championship with the Chicago Bulls, as usual the championship team will be invited to the White House. However, Michael was absent at that time with the excuse of “spending time with family”… and then not long after, it was known that this 57-year-old legend went golfing with James Bouler, one of the tycoons. Notorious drug traffickers in the US.
This case also became noisy after authorities discovered that James Bouler possessed a personal check signed by Jordan worth $57,000. During the 1992 trial, when called to testify, Michael Jordan said in his first testimony that it was a business loan. But after reading the oath, he admitted it was a payment after playing golf with James.
Appears in the books owing $1.25 million
Whether on the basketball court or the golf course, Michael Jordan always shows his competitive spirit, so he bets.
Michael Jordan appeared in the book “Michael & Me: Our Gambling Addiction.. My Cry For Help” (Michael and I, addiction to gambling…. Begging for help) by businessman Richard Esquinas in early 1993 .
This book then became the focus of a lot of attention from fans. It revealed a series of issues about Michael Jordan’s passion for red and black. One of the notable details in there is that Michael owes Richard $1.25 million after 10 days of golf. After that, everything was resolved and Richard received $300,000.
Lost $5 million in one night in Las Vegas
5 million dollars evaporated in just one night, it seems this is the real Michael Jordan.
In addition to his hobby of betting on games outside the ring, Michael Jordan is also a talented gambler. The largest amount of money he ever burned was said to be $5 million in just one night in Las Vegas.
Michael Jordan’s startling achievement took place in 1997, while he was still playing for the Chicago Bulls. And the game that makes him burn money so quickly is craps (dice).
Those are the most typical stories that show the immense passion of the player who won the NBA Finals MVP title 6 times. To explain this, Michael said it was because his competition was so high that he wanted to win everything. Regardless, the whole game is worth just $1 per flight with a teammate.
