The majority of basketball enthusiasts are aware of how competitive Michael Jordan really was back in the day. While there have been numerous stories from other NBA legends, snippets from his docuseries, The Last Dance also give an idea of MJ’s fierce nature. But did you know that Jordan’s competitiveness got so out of hand that former NBA player Kendall Gill had to ask him to leave his house?
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Labeled as the ultimate competitor, Jordan got that nod from his teammates, opponents, and even coaches. However, in Gill’s experience, MJ’s competitiveness got a bit out of hand as he narrated what went down once.
“We were playing cards at my house one day in Charlotte. This is how big of a competitor he was…So, we’re playing this game called Tonk. And I’m beating him out of his money. And I’m beating him and this is about 11 o’clock at night.”
“This guy does not go home until 7 o’clock in the morning until he wins all of his money back…They had a game that day, we played him that day…I was ready for Michael Jordan to leave. I was like, ‘Dude, will you please go? Just leave, please.”
Jordan wanted to win. Be it on the court or off the court. His competitiveness often got the best of him and his teammates bore the brunt of it. However, one more thing worth noting was that MJ was also an avid gambler.
He would not only put big money on the table during such card games but would also throw around thousands on the golf course as well. Numerous books have been written about MJ’s gambling habits.
But despite his love for gambling, it never got in the way of his performance on the court.
MJ and his love for playing cards
In The Last Dance, MJ would often play cards with his own teammates where they would bet thousands of dollars on each hand. After winning that game, he’d go and play cards with John Paxson and Will Purdue for a dollar a hand.
And that is how competitive he was. Even during the Olympic games in Barcelona, MJ would play cards with Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and Magic Johnson every night, despite having a game the next day.
“We played cards every night, all night. We needed at least a power nap in there. But we played cards every single night. Another person who would come is Scottie. So me, Michael, Magic, and Scottie would play cards every single night.”
“We’d gather from like eight o’clock at night to six in the morning, then we’d run to the room and take a quick power nap and go to practice. It was crazy.”
And even after pulling all-nighters before Olympic games or playoff matchups, MJ would go out and dominate the very next day on the court.
