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Billionaire Michael Jordan once had just $20 in his bank account, forcing him to go to his mother Deloris

Ashish Priyadarshi
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Billionaire Michael Jordan once had just $20 in his bank account, forcing him to go to his mother Deloris

Michael Jordan has turned into the greatest basketball player of all time, and a billionaire, but things weren’t always so easy as he often needed his mother’s help.

The Bulls legend has accomplished what NBA players dream of doing in his career. Six championships, six Finals MVP’s, five NBA MVP’s, an obvious Hall of Fame induction, and much more has cemented Jordan’s legacy as the greatest NBA player of all time.

So, why was his career so confusing? Well, he retired thrice in his career, to give you some context. If that sounds weird to you, that’s because it is. His first retirement was by far the most surprising as it came only nine years into his career, and he had just started to win at the highest level, coming off of his first three-peat.

However, he returned just as strong, showing everyone that just because he had taken two years off didn’t mean that he was any worse off. He still won league MVPs, and Finals MVPs, en-route to another three-peat.

Also Read: 7-foot Shaquille O’Neal offered a shocking $10,000 to a teammate to fight Kobe Bryant

Michael Jordan had to request his mom for $20 before he became a billionaire

Jordan and his mother Deloris Jordan share a tight bond, and the two have been inseparable. Deloris played a huge part in Jordan’s development, and after Jordan’s father passed away, she became the most important figure in Michael’s eyes.

When Jordan was a student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, he’d regularly write to his mother and family. Once, he had to ask Deloris for more money as he was running a little low on funds.

His letter went,

Dear Mom,

How has life been treating you? Fine, I hope. I am doing just fine. I am sending you my account number so that you can deposit some money in my account. I have only $20 in there. Tell everyone I said hello and smile. God and I love you. 

Love, Michael. 

P.S. Sorry about the phone bill. Please also send me some stamps.

Coming from just $20 to more than $2 billion, Jordan has come a long way, but he couldn’t have it done without the support of his mother, who was with him right from the start.

Also Read: Billionaire Michael Jordan forayed into the $72.8 billion industry to prove he can win anywhere

About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi

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Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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