1993 was the toughest year in Michael Jordan’s life. Until that year, every challenge he faced had been relatively easy. MJ approached obstacles pragmatically and with utmost confidence. But it all changed when his father, James Jordan, was brutally murdered by two robbers.
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The shock of it all sent Jordan into a spiral like he had never felt before. With his third championship still fresh, James’ death caused Michael to forsake the game he had so loved. He wanted to distance himself from basketball and go play baseball, something James had wanted for his son.
But even as he dealt with the pain and trauma of his father’s death, the media launched a cruel attack, alleging MJ’s gambling had a role to play in the murder. The news, for obvious reasons, left a horrible taste in Michael’s mouth and he wanted the NBA to take action.
Michael Jordan wanted David Stern to take action against the media
Leading up to the 1993 season, Michael Jordan and his tryst with gambling had become almost as popular as his immensely successful shoe line. Every fan knew how much MJ loved betting money on golf or in Vegas. Even card games between team members became highly competitive.
But his obsession with gambling came back to haunt him right after his father’s murder. James had been a supporter of Michael’s off-court activities. He had even supported MJ’s infamous visit to Atlanta. So, following the tragedy, media used the gambling to sensationalize what was heartbreaking for the Bulls legend and his family.
‘Journalists’ and TV casters were not alleging foul play but suggesting Jordan. through his gambling, had a role to play in the murder. This, for obvious reasons, infuriated Jordan. The press also alleged that David Strern had forced MJ to quit and that is why he had moved on to play baseball.
In his book Michael Jordan: The Life, Roland Lazenby detailed MJ’s anger with the media and his demand to take action against them for their cruel and unsubstantiated allegations. But when Stern did nothing, Michael was furious at the NBA commissioner.
Lazenby: “As Sonny Vaccaro observed, Jordan was so big, so important to the NBA, he was the only player who could have survived the gambling mess. A lesser player would have been suspended, Vaccaro said, adding that the NBA chose to deal with it by shutting the books on its inquiry. It seemed highly unlikely that David Stern would have forced Jordan from the league. Jordan, however, would later express anger with Stern for not doing more to take on the conspiracy theorists who tied James Jordan’s death to his son’s gambling debts, even though nothing in any investigation pointed to that possibility.”
MJ’s gambling was a legitimate problem
In all fairness, Michael’s gambling was a legitimate problem. He allegedly owed Richard Esquinas some $1.2 million in debt and refused to pay. Even after Esquinas’ regular berating, MJ never coughed up the entire debt amount.
From investigators finding checks written by him at a murdered man’s house to his connection to a drug dealer, there was nothing harmless about MJ’s gambling habit.
That being said, there was certainly no connection between the death of his father and the gambling. After all, NBA had conducted a thorough investigation and found nothing. It was shameful that the media had gone after a man grieving the loss of his father with such viciousness. And regardless of the nature of his gambling, they were wrong to allege something of this nature.
