Michael Jordan is a name that is synonymous with basketball in the 1990s. His charisma and thunderous play had overtaken the NBA, and the money flew from all ends. Jordan would eventually become the richest athlete on the face of the earth.
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Though basketball success played a role in his riches, a portion belonged to the Air Jordan sneaker line. Mike also made a lot of money from business ventures and entrepreneurship. He is now worth a notable $2 billion.
But before all that money Jordan had a serious problem. In his early years, he developed a notorious gambling habit.
It could be anything from golf to cards on the team bus – Jordan always played for money. His innate desire to win was such that he could not control himself. In a segment of the hit Netflix show ‘The Last Dance’ talked about his gambling problems. Jordan referred to it as a ‘competition’ problem.
Michael Jordan bet against his prom date and won!
According to Michael Jordan, The Life by Roland Lazenby, Michael started gambling at a very young age. During his high school days in Wilmington, North Carolina he had a bet with his prom date and won. It’s believed that Jordan had multiple such instances at a young age, including a $5 bet he won at a game of pool when he was at the University of California. The Dollar bill was reportedly auctioned.
It’s safe to state that Jordan’s gambling only escalated and reached exorbitant amounts of money as time flew. It was reported that he lost thousands of Dollars while playing golf. There were speculations about him hanging out with the wrong crowd and hindering his reputation.
It got to a point where the Chicago Bulls front office had gotten involved. When Jordan first retired in 1993, there were rumors about him being pushed out of the NBA to avoid negative press. It was later clarified that Jordan wanted to take a break following his father’s demise.
MJ landed into trouble for gambling
In an instance that broke the news, Jordan had paid off a gambling debt with a cheque of $57,000. It turned out that the person he lost to had a criminal history. When the authorities raided the place for money laundering, they found a cheque written by Jordan.
Jordan had told the authorities that the cheque was for a golf business but later was asked to testify in court. He accepted in the court that it was related to a gambling debt. This was a very bad look for Michael and by extension the NBA.
