Aside From Placing $300,00 Bets On A Golf Course, Michael Jordan Had NBA GMs Confide In Him Their ‘Hatred’ For Dealing With Jerry Krause In 1991

Nithin Joseph | 17/08/2023
Aside From Placing $300,00 Bets On A Golf Course, Michael Jordan Had NBA GMs Confide In Him Their 'Hatred' For Dealing With Jerry Krause In 1991

The Chicago Bulls were a dominant force back in the 1990s. Winning six championships, the Bulls found success thanks to the team built by Jerry Krause. However, despite building a perennial championship contender, his players, in particular, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen detested him. So much so, that as revealed in The Jordan Rules, MJ, whose love for golf saw him make $300,000 bets, played with some of the other GMs in the league. Allowing him to gain knowledge of what they actually thought about Krause.

Jordan always loved spending lavishly, especially on the golf course. A big spender, he often placed outlandish bets, especially when he was playing with his friends. As such, when he happened to be out golfing with Charles Barkley one time, he put up a $300,000 bet on a single put. One that left Chuck obviously shocked.

Michael Jordan used to golf with GMs in the NBA to get insider information on Jerry Krause

The Chicago Bulls, to many, was the perfect NBA team. Led by the GOAT, Michael Jordan, the team was an unstoppable force in the 90s. However, if there was one problem people had with the team according to Bulls’ players, it was their general manager, Jerry Krause. A man that had gained an unsavory reputation in the NBA.

Known for butting heads with Michael Jordan, he was disliked greatly by the players on the roster. Not only did he lack people skills, but he reportedly tried ripping other teams off, and even notoriously refused to pay MJ and Scottie Pippen the money they felt they deserved. Instead, he lured Toni Kukoc to the Bulls with the money he could have used to pay Scottie. Angering the locker room further.

So, in true MJ fashion, His Airness looked to gain as much knowledge as he could about his GM. And, as revealed in Sam Smith’s book, he got this information by playing with other GMs in the league. Here he learned that they hated dealing with Krause because he always tried “getting something for nothing”.

“I play golf with these general managers all summer,” Jordan said, “and they all tell me they don’t want to deal with Krause because he’s always trying to rip them off, get something for nothing. It’s why we don’t do anything.”

Despite all this, Krause had nothing but respect for Jordan. He spoke highly of His Airness even recalling how he never asked him for any particular player. A testament to the professional Jordan was on the court.

At the end of the day Jordan and Krause won championships together and made money together

Michael Jordan clearly wasn’t a fan of Jerry Krause. But, even he cannot deny that Jerry did a heck of a job as GM. Not only did they win six NBA Championships together, but MJ also got paid in the process. Seeing as he earned a whopping $63,000,000 in his last two seasons with the team.

At the end of the day, what Jordan and Krause did together was unprecedented. They created a dynasty that will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest in the history of sports.

Post Edited By: Pritam Priyedarshi
Jerry Krause Michael Jordan

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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