Michael Jordan didn’t exist without his flaws. The ‘GOAT’ is treated as basketball royalty and rightfully so but his off-the-court endeavours often led to a litany of naysayers when it came to judging his character. One pitfall that MJ found himself in was his so called gambling ‘addiction’. MJ felt the need to put money on the line for any and everything and golf and he combined this vice of his with his love for golf. This unfortunately landed him in legal trouble when a check for $57000 brought him into court in 1992. Fortunately for him, his celebrity status ‘saved’ him in a sense.
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Golf was something Jordan admitted in 2005 was an addiction for him rather than a passion. He used his proficiency at the leisure sport to cool off after games regardless of how important they were, such as the time he golfed with Charles Barkley during he 1993 NBA Finals while the Suns and the Bulls faced off against one another. However, with gambling placed into the mix, MJ got a bit too carried away.
Michael Jordan got asked if he was the guy from the Wheaties box in court
Michael Jordan golfed with known hustler ‘Slim’ Bouler in the early 90s and eventually had written a check worth $57,000 after losing to Bouler. After Bouler got busted for other criminal activities, a link had been established between ‘Slim’ and Jordan, eventually leading to MJ needing to testify in court.
At first, the 6x NBA champion tried to lie about what the check was for, claiming it was a loan for a driving range. However, when placed under oath in the courthouse, he admitted that he had lied and that the $57,000 was indeed a gambling loss to ‘Slim’.
In Jordan Rules by Sam Smith, it was reported that MJ wasn’t brought up all too much in this case regarding Bouler however and that was partly due to how enamored the courthouse was with his celebrity status.
“Although gambling is illegal in South Carolina, where the events occurred, Jordan was not a subject of the investigation. And, in fact, he was a celebrity even in the courthouse. ‘Are you the guy on the Wheaties box?’ asked defense attorney James Wyatt in questioning Jordan. ‘Yes,’ replied Jordan,” read an excerpt from Jordan Rules.
MJ had a slew of endorsements to his name
Of course, it’s incredibly odd to know Michael Jordan from the cover of a breakfast cereal rather than from his accomplishments on NBA hardwood. Though, with how many endorsements he had his face plastered over, it shouldn’t be all too surprising.
Everything from McDonald’s to Coca-Cola, Jordan was the face of it all. Wheaties, as mentioned earlier, was actually quite a big milestone as only the best of the best from the realm of sports get to have their likeness placed on a Wheaties box.
It were these endorsements that helped rake in the big money for ‘His Airness’ as his NBA contract salary was nothing in comparison. The money from promoting brands like Gatorade, Hanes, and of course, Nike, is where MJ really made his mark.
