Given the situation the league finds itself in today, we may be inclined to believe that stories of NBA players betting big are possibly real. But then there are occasions when these tales are just that — stories. Jamal Crawford recently called out a particularly bizarre one involving himself and Michael Jordan.
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An account on X spoke about a three-point contest between Crawford and MJ that has now been proven to be fictional. The Chicago Bulls icon allegedly upped a bet from $1000 to $5000, only to lose the contest to Crawford. The X user then claimed that Jordan bet his Ferrari against Crawford’s Mercedes, and this time, the Bulls legend ended up winning.
Jordan drove Crawford’s Mercedes home and even removed his personalized number plate, according to the post. Just that, none of it ever happened, vouched Crawford.
The three-time NBA sixth-man-of-the-year took to X to respond to a fan wondering about the authenticity of the story. Crawford reshared it with the caption, “[Cap emoji], my bro”.
Of course, the Crawford vs. Jordan story did not just come out of thin air, and something did happen involving him and his Mercedes. It’s just that it didn’t involve hoopin’ with Jordan.
my bro! https://t.co/JPP6sdrVLX
— Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) November 4, 2025
Crawford, in an interview on The Pivot, once admitted that he had to give up his Benz to a man whom he did not name. The year was 2000, and the incident happened during a game of shooting dice. He lost thousands of dollars and tried to bet his way out of the debt, which he, unsurprisingly, failed.
In the end, Crawford owed around $100k, and he was just a rookie in the league playing for the Bulls back then. So, he did the smart thing and chose to part ways with his car. “I [would] rather give you my car than go to the bank and get $100,000,” he had said.
It was important for Crawford to clear the air surrounding the myth that Jordan took his car away. Chicago was Crawford’s first team in the NBA, and Jordan, although in Washington by that point, was an icon in the city.
Crawford, 45 now, and Jordan even worked out together several times, early on in the guard’s career. Perhaps they had a few friendly side-bets here and there, but definitely not any involving a Ferrari and a Mercedes.
