Besides his prowess in basketball, Michael Jordan had gained increasing notoriety for his betting and gambling-related activities. Alongside Jordan, many of his teammates and people within his close circle had also taken interest in these activities, during the prime of Jordan’s playing career. As Jordan’s gambling activities gained prominence, many people also suspected the Bulls player of betting on his NBA games. However, upon investigation, Jordan was given a clean chit and cleared of all charges.
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During Jordan’s era, playing cards and gambling were an intrinsic part of the NBA player culture. Teammates got a chance to bond further with each other off the court. However, in MJ’s case, he had taken his gambling addiction a step forward with his obsession. Coupled with his ultra-competitive nature, this addiction was a thorn for Jordan’s credibility as a star player.
Despite his notorious gambling reputation, MJ was cleared of the alleged charge
Michael Jordan was spending his off-court time gambling, playing cards, and wagering a lot of cash. To keep himself entertained, Jordan was hosting his own poker games, which were attracting wide attention and attendance of several star players in the league. With his gambling and wagering activities in opulence, the NBA doubted the Bulls star of also wagering his own games.
Well, the NBA having such speculation about Jordan was well justified, given the notoriety of his activities. However, upon investigation, Jordan was cleared of all such alleged charges and offered a clean chit by the NBA. Here is an excerpt from the book, ‘Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby’, which explains this situation in greater detail.
“At no time was Jordan alleged to have bet on any NBA games, his defenders pointed out. If that was the case, it was the only thing Jordan didn’t bet on, Newsweek suggested. “At practice he’ll wager on trick shots or play Horse for cash. On the Chicago Bulls’ plane, he runs games of twenty-one or tonk, a sort of gin rummy. On the road, he hosts all-night poker games in his hotel room. Three years ago the team began using its own charter plane to protect the players’ privacy—but also, it seems now, to keep away the embarrassing view of the hundreds of dollars spread across airport-lounge tables, the stakes in Jordan’s card games.”
Given his activities had started garnering negative attention, Jordan started taking additional measures to protect his privacy. In the 90s, Jordan started chartering his own private jet while traveling with his teammates.
Furthermore, Jordan was afraid of portraying a bad image of himself, which included his excessive splurge of cash. Though changing this already established notorious image of himself was hard, such measures allowed Jordan to at least ward attention off his activities from media and public scrutiny.
Jordan once spent $5,000,000 a night in gambling during his hay days
Michael Jordan has hundreds of stories that narrate his exploits, and at times, losses in his gambling pursuits. One such instance is from 2007, when His Airness blew over $5,000,000 in a night, gambling alongside former NFL player, Adam Jones in Las Vegas. Despite setting strict dice-rolling rules, Jordan lost his stake at the craps table, which led him to a loss of millions of dollars.
Jordan always loved high stakes. But that fateful night in Vegas left him shocked. Despite having learned his lessons earlier, this was indeed a heavy blow for the six-time NBA champion. However, for Adam Jones, it was a lucky night as he earned some big bucks off Jordan’s loss.
