Michael Jordan’s history with gambling is well-known to most NBA fans. Known to have an overall debt of around $57,000 due to his gambling, the NBA issued a reprimand for MJ at the start of the 1993-94 season. According to Roland Lazenby’s Michael Jordan: The Life, MJ reacted in a typical fashion and refused to quit gambling. Instead, he promised to bring down his bet value comprehensively, claiming that people shouldn’t have an issue if he only lost $40 or 50.
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Jordan was known to be a huge gambler and especially put wagers on various golf games. He was known to put in bets of thousands of dollars at one point in time. An avid golfer, MJ would also wage with his friends during games that he himself played.
The NBA reprimanded Michael Jordan for gambling and unsavory company
MJ had himself testified that he had overall debt of around $57,000 due to his gambling. The league obviously treated the situation with urgency and decided to issue a warning.
He had been involved with convicted drug dealer ‘Slim’ Bouler and testified about his debt in court. This led to the NBA asking him to stop keeping unsavory company, apart from his golf bets:
“As the season was set to open, the NBA issued a reprimand of Jordan for gambling on golf and keeping unsavory company, which left him somewhat contrite during training camp. He told reporters he wouldn’t quit gambling but he would lower the stakes. “Winning is great, but when you lose that amount and get all the abuse I got, it ain’t worth it any longer,” he said. “I think people can accept my losing forty or fifty dollars. It’s easy to relate to. A twenty-dollar Nassau is something I should stick with.”
However, MJ saw the incident from his own, unique perspective. He was of the opinion that gambling itself was not the problem. Rather, it was the high monetary value of his bets that attracted the wrong media and fan attention.
MJ was speculated to be somehow involved in his father’s death
MJ was later known to owe around $1 million to Richard Esquinas, who made the allegations in his book, “Michael and Me.” James Jordan was brutally murdered in July 1993, around the same time when MJ’s gambling issues came to light.
This led to a part of the media speculating that he was somehow involved in his father’s death. According to NY Post, a range of articles suggesting the same had come out.
This led to MJ issuing a statement of his own. Jordan said that he was outraged, and could not believe that so many people had decided to pour salt in his wounds.
