Michael Jordan is the most competitive player in NBA history. He cared so much about winning that he even indulged in seemingly wild bets as Jamal Crawford will have you know.
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Jordan would take anything anyone said, even if it was just a comment made in passing, and use it as motivation. By now, memes of his ‘And I took it personally’ quote from the Last Dance are viral enough to help you understand how absurdly competitive he was.
After all, to be such a dominant player, you need to have the character that goes along with it. Jordan dominated opponents on the court and in their minds.
Jordan’s competitiveness also meant that he would regularly make bets with anyone. The bets could be on his golfing skills, his basketball skills, or even sometimes, the most random things. For example, he once bet $100,000 on a game of rock-paper-scissors.
For someone who’s a billionaire, Jordan isn’t making these bets to earn cash in on a little extra profit. He’s doing them because he loves the thrill of competition and taking something away from someone by winning.
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Michael Jordan and Jamal Crawford put their expensive cars up in a bet
Now that you’ve understoof Jordan’s betting techniques, you should also have an idea of how high he’s willing to go for any bet. The same held true when he decided to go toe to toe with Jamal Crawford.
Crawford gained a reputation as a valuable role player throughout his career. He had smooth handles, and a great jumpshot that couldn’t be stopped in his prime. Crawford was an asset for any contending team, giving them a valuable scoring threat off the bench.
He also took it straight to Michael Jordan in his rookie year, placing bets with the legend. The bets ranged from $1,000 to $5,000. However, that wasn’t enough for the GOAT.
“He asked which car I’d come in to training, I replied ‘In a Mercedes’, he then said ‘I came in a Ferrari, shall we play for it?”‘ Crawford explained.
Jordan’s Ferrari was worth $450,000, but he had no hesitation putting it up for the bet. In the end, Jordan won the bet, drilling all five of his three point shots while Crawford couldn’t. This was during Jordan’s Wizards year, all things considered.
