Michael Jordan is back in the public eye with the critically acclaimed documentary entitled “The Last Dance”. The documentary is as much about the Chicago Bulls sixth NBA Championship title in the 1997-98 season, as it is about Michael Jordan’s life and career, previous championships, and important teammates that surrounded him on the court. Michael Jordan is arguably the most popular sports superstar to ever live, all categories considered. The man was pretty much larger than life during the 80s and 90s. Making a comeback with the recent Netflix Documentary, the news, social feeds, rumors, and interviews about him are running haywire. One such rumor is the speculation around Michal Jordan’s gambling habits.
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In episode six of “The Last Dance” the controversial gambling habits of MJ was highlighted. Back in 1993, he insisted that he doesn’t have a problem with gambling but rather that “I have a competition problem”. However, it is well known that he gambles way too frequently for it not to be related to the activity of wagering money on outcomes. He would bet on anything – from golf to poker and tossing coins. The reason why his gambling was brought to light in 1993 was because of a nightly casino visit during the playoff series that same year during the NBA conference finals versus New York Knicks. The Bulls had just lost the first game and on the team’s day off, Jordan decided to visit the famous Atlantic City casino. He stayed there playing blackjack and shooting craps until 2:30 AM, just 17 hours prior to the second game versus the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. MJ had a lousy performance despite scoring game-high 36 points, only shooting 12-of-32 and the Bulls were down 0-2. The media slaughtered him and the Bulls were doomed for failure as Jordan had lost focus. Jordan and his Bulls bounced back, winning the series 4-2 with some epic performances by the goat. Jordan’s penchant for gambling stuck with him and has done so over the years.
In that episode of “The Last Dance”, MJ was quoted saying “I love to bet”. That leads us to assume that he is at least a semi-frequent gambler these days, and considering the plethora of selections we have online today, he would be able to keep his gambling habits rather anonymous, a luxury he did not have in the 90s.
We also know that MJ’s love for golf remains and he is out on the golf course every week, surely he enjoys indulging in the odd golf bet, too. There is a story out there from a book, backed up by actual fiscal tax returns, from a person who won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course during a 10-day span back in the early 90s. In this book, it is claimed that bets on putts could range from $100,000 to $250,000. Considering he was on the golf course every other day, we can safely assume that it wasn’t an isolated incident but rather a gambling habit. $1.25 million is a lot of money but put in the perspective of Michael Jordan’s fortune of $2.1 billion, that’s more like pocket money to him. MJ became extremely wealthy already during the 80s through the Jordan brand and endorsements.
Today, gambling is looked on a lot lighter than it was looked at some 30 odd years ago. The stigma around gambling has now eroded, but back then, MJ was painted out like a criminal despite not doing anything illegal, betting and gambling were completely legal.