Back in 1993, global giant Nike partnered with FootAction to open the “Flight 23” stores. The stores were managed by Michael Jordan’s parents, Deloris and James Jordan, but quickly ran into trouble. The troubles behind the shop’s functioning were said to be one of the driving factors behind Jordan’s media boycott. This in turn led to a decline in his mental health. Jordan, who was also having trouble with gambling, was protected by his father despite the personal problems between them.
Advertisement
In 1993, after Michael’s Atlantic City trip during the Playoffs, his father decided to speak to the media on his own, according to Roland Lazenby’s Michael Jordan: The Life. James Jordan begged the media to ignore his son’s gambling addiction and treat him just like another man. Of course, despite making the promise, the Chicago Bulls star continued to gamble with millions for years to come.
Michael Jordan’s father wanted the media to treat him like “just another man.”
According to The Last Dance, Michael Jordan’s Atlantic City trip took place just one day before a playoff game. The Chicago Bulls ended up losing the game against the New York Knicks.
Jordan had later claimed that he needed to get away from the negative press, and stopped speaking to the media in the days that followed. His teammates followed suit, leading to fines from the NBA. According to Lazenby’s book, James told reporters that his son had a competition problem and not a gambling problem:
“I don’t mind speaking for Michael,” he said. “He’s my child. You do whatever you can for your child.” He had told Michael privately that he believed he had no more challenges on the court, that it was the off-court issues that were driving him away from the game, and now James began his talk with the reporters first by almost pleading, but then his voice lost any softness. “He knows he’s in the fishbowl, under the microscope,” the father said, adding that there should be some time in Jordan’s life where that was not the case. “You just have to say, ‘Hey, this guy’s human.’ I mean, what is enough? That’s the big question right now, what is enough? Pretty soon, when you keep tipping the bucket up, there’s not going to be anything in there after a while. You’re going to pour it all out. And that’s what we should start realizing as fans.” Trying to offer insight about his son, James Jordan told reporters, “My son doesn’t have a gambling problem. He has a competition problem.”
Michael Jordan was issued a warning from NBA over his gambling problem
Michael Jordan’s gambling problem did not have any longstanding impact on his career. However, it did lead to the NBA issuing a warning over his habits and “keeping unsavory company” in the 1993 offseason.
Jordan had been continuously criticized by the media already and promised to “reduce his gambling amounts.” The Bulls legend claimed that his fans might have an issue with him losing thousands of dollars, but would probably accept it if he only lost $40 or $50.
However, this did not prove to be necessarily true, In the years that followed, Michael Jordan continued to gamble on other sports, particularly golf. According to Vanity Fair, he would routinely bet hundreds of thousands of dollars over single bets.
