Best Michael Jordan Gambling Stories: Wednesday is Michael Jordan‘s 58th birthday.
Since we are a sports betting site, we figured we would pay him tribute. Here’s one crazy story about him betting his teammates that his luggage would hit the baggage claim carousel first.
Naturally, he did all he could to control those odds:
Best Michael Jordan Gambling Stories
While that insider betting strategy would not work too well at big-named sportsbooks, Jordan just had to do anything to win. Even if it meant lining a random airport handler’s pockets to collect $900 from his teammates on a rigged bet.
Speaking of betting with teammates:
- Jordan reportedly spent late nights at Bally’s Casino before playoff games with the New York Knicks. He would stay out until 2:30 a.m. with a playoff game that same day.
- Charles Barkley has noted that Jordan would wager hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single round of golf. Barkley, a gambler himself, claimed that he could not keep up with Jordan’s habits.
- According to Jay Williams, Jordan would wager $20,000 on a single round of rock paper scissors, the classic childhood game.
When he wasn’t betting, Jordan was busy becoming the most notable athlete of his generation on the court. His six NBA Championships speak for themselves. Jordan finished his career as a 10-time scoring champion, the only player with two three-peats and a spotless 6-0 NBA Finals series record. In 1987-88, Jordan won MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and the Scoring Title in one season. He is the only player to do so.
Jordan, who briefly retired from the NBA to play baseball, still has the most MVPs and Finals MVPs in basketball combined. We’re pretty sure he didn’t bet on baseball, but even if he did, his career wasn’t even close to being good enough to jeopardize a Hall of Fame induction. (Right, Pete Rose?)
The rings, records and overall generational impact on the game of basketball made Jordan great. (But could he come back down three games to one against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors? This LeBron James supporter wonders….)
Snark aside, Happy Birthday, Mike. Let us know if you need any bet tips.
After reading about the Best MJ Gambling Stories, step on the court and make your NBA bets:
- Read our NBA betting tips for February 17 and beyond.
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