Years After Gambling $150,000 a Hand with Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods Claimed LeBron James Was a Mix of Magic Johnson and MJ

Michael Jordan’s love of gambling has been well-known since his playing days. The incredible superstardom he garnered in the NBA went hand-in-hand with plenty of high-money bets, often said to be down to his addiction to winning. Jordan has been known to have lost millions of dollars due to gambling. At the same time, his habits led to a not-so-unlikely friendship with fellow superstar athlete, Tiger Woods. In their heyday, the two were known to have individual hands worth more than $150k when gambling together.

The two became friends due to a mutual love for golf which soon translated into high-stake gambling sessions. By the end of MJ’s career, he was known to have a close relationship with Tiger Woods, who once discussed their friendship on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Still, back in 2018, when Woods was asked by ESPN about the best NBA player in history, he ended up praising LeBron James. Tiger Woods claimed that while MJ dominated the league in a different way, what LeBron had done could not be ignored as well.

Woods said that LeBron was a combination of Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, and brings the ball up a lot more than MJ ever did.

Tiger Woods once praised LeBron James in response to question about NBA GOAT

Michael Jordan and LeBron are the two most obvious candidates for the GOAT title. While Tiger Woods was reluctant to choose either one, he gave a glowing review of LeBron:

“They’re both great in different ways. If you look at MJ, he was a prolific scorer and played defense like no other, always first-team all-defense, but LeBron is different. He’s like a hybrid of MJ and Magic Johnson, which is so different because he’s bringing the ball up a lot. MJ never really did that. I mean, he had Pippen as a point forward a lot of times, and you would think that’s kind of LeBron-ish, but they’re very different in how they help both teams.”

Woods said that LeBron also had added ball-handling responsibilities, and suggested that he was a better passer than James. That is something statistics prove as well, although MJ’s dominance in the league was like no other.

Jordan won the title 6 times, while James has won it just 4 times despite playing for far longer. While Tiger Woods had some glowing words for LeBron, it is obvious that he has the utmost respect for MJ as well.

Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan would often vacation together

Considering their mutual love for gambling, Jordan and Tiger Woods were known to have taken multiple trips together. They were well-known in many LA casinos. They would often end up splurging hundreds of thousands of dollars on single hands.

Still, the two’s relationship goes a long way past just recreational gambling. Instead, Jordan is known to have been a chief supporter of Woods during his turbulent times. Woods was known to have multiple affairs and had significant mental health issues during the 2010s.

Considering their friendship, it is commendable how Woods was still able to give such a response when comparing the two. Without naming a favorite, he explained exactly what made the two NBA GOATs worthy of their status.