Michael Jordan is the most legendary NBA athlete in history. Everything he did on the court was iconic. From his high-flying dunks to seemingly impossible scoring feats, MJ’s legacy holds a special place in the history of the NBA.
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Even two decades after his retirement, the top talent in the league is still compared to him. Yet, no one is quite like Mike. He remains perhaps the most legitimate GOAT contender. However, as legendary as his on-court conquests were, his off-court activities managed to generate as much hype.
Especially Michael’s obsession with gambling at one point in time was national news. The entire NBA community and all its fans couldn’t help but be worried by the money and time he gave to it.
Richard Esquinas, MJ’s golfing partner, is responsible for revealing the most about Jordan’s gambling habits. But surprisingly when he revealed the volume of Michael’s debts, the Bulls legend vehemently denied only for Esquinas to offer proof of it.
Richard Esquinas proved Michael Jordan was lying
In his critically acclaimed book Michael Jordan: The Life that covered the Bulls legend in-depth, Roland Lazenby also wrote about Richard Esquinas and MJ’s gambling.
Apparently, Esquinas claimed Michael owed him an incredible $1.2 million. But the 6ft 6″ superstar refused to pay him back so Esquinas revealed the details in public. When the news broke out, Michael finally agreed on tape that he did indeed owe Esquinas a lot of money but the amount wasn’t even close to $1.2 million.
In response, Esquinas offered multiple documents to prove his claim. From his tax returns to copies of MJ’s checks, the infamous golfing partner proved Jordan had already paid off $300,000 but eventually chose to rely on a lawyer to not part with any more money.
Lazenby: “In a taped interview on NBC at halftime of Game 1 of the Finals, Jordan admitted that he had lost substantial sums to Esquinas but nowhere near the figure claimed. Esquinas, meanwhile, presented copies of his tax returns and copies of Jordan’s checks. He had apparently paid off approximately $300,000 of the debt before turning to a Chicago lawyer to keep Esquinas at bay.”
Esquinas alleged Michael had even threatened him once
In his book, Lazenby also revealed how Jordan had even resorted to threatening Esquinas. When Richard began to hound him over the immense debt, Michael jokingly confessed he would rather shoot Esquinas than pay off the debt. Of course, these are all claims made by Richard, and MJ has never confirmed them.
Richard’s allegations are still not accepted at face value and while a lot of claims have been proved, including the $300,000 Jordan paid him. However, it is hard to ascertain whether MJ actually threatened him or the tone of his words. Either way, there is no denying MJ’s gambling at the peak was a problem. Fortunately, it never impacted his performance on the court.
