“I Might as Well Shoot You”: Overwhelmed by $1,200,000 Gambling Bet, Michael Jordan Threatened Golfing Partner Esquinas

Michael Jordan was as obsessed with gambling on golf as he was to dominating opponents on the court. In fact, his gambling probably trumped even the love he had for the sport. For the legendary basketball, nothing trumped the feeling of high-stake gambling.

His escapades off the court sometimes involved wagers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Perhaps the public and media backlash that he faced for this habit made him like placing such enormous wagers even more.

Gambling fueled Michael‘s competitive spirit. And Richard Esquinas used that spirit to rack up a shocking amount of debt on the Bulls superstar. However, despite the rules he had in place with Esquinas about gambling, Jordan was awfully reluctant to pay off his golfing buddy. In fact, such was his distaste for repaying Rich that MJ, in a way, threatened the man who accompanied him on many golfing trips.

Michael Jordan claimed he’d rather shoot Esquinas

In his book Michael Jordan: The Life, critically acclaimed writer Roland Lazenby wrote of MJ’s $1.2 million gambling debt. He owed the huge sum to his golfing partner Richard Esquinas.

The threat also left Esquinas intimidated. He knew the scope of Michael’s popularity, wealth, and connections. Richard knew that if MJ had decided not to pay the entire amount, he never would. No matter what Esquinas did, Michael Jordan wouldn’t be deterred, couldn’t be deterred from his decision.

Lazenby: “Meanwhile, Esquinas had begun phoning Jordan to inquire about payment for their wager. Esquinas would reveal three years later that Jordan replied with a laugh, “Rich, I just might as well shoot you as to give you a check for $1.2 million.”

Esquinas knew MJ would never pay the entire amount back. It was difficult to imagine convincing Jordan, especially after the obvious threat he had made. Lazenby also wrote of Esquinas’ point of view in the aftermath of MJ’s comments.

He wrote: “The comment left Esquinas more than a bit fearful and prompted him to contemplate the great value Jordan held for various interested parties. “I feared that I’d be perceived as a threat to Jordan, and the things that come with those fears,” he said. “I played it off,” Esquinas would reveal later. “But he was definitely drawing the line that he wasn’t going to pay the full amount. What he was saying was, ‘I’m not paying the full amount.’ And right there, I knew I had trouble collecting.”

A snippet from my hard-hitting interview with Richard Esquinas. Did Michael Jordan really owe him $1.3mm? Am I the new Diane Sawyer? So many questions. You decide. pic.twitter.com/EtecbLyijj

— Cousin Sal (@TheCousinSal) May 15, 2020

Juanita wrote $50,000 checks for Esquinas

To his credit, even after the threat, Esquinas was relentless. He wanted his money back. Michael owed him $1.2 million and it wasn’t a small amount by any means. So, the golfer started to pester the Bulls legend at every opportunity.

Eventually, MJ had to relent. Though he never paid back the entire $1.2 million, he did pay back a significant amount. In fact, even Juanita Vanoy wrote a few $50,000 checks to help her husband settle his dues.