Everyone knows Michael Jordan for being the best player to have walked on the basketball court ever. He was exceptional in every department of the game, constantly knocking everyone off their feet through his crafty moves. That’s also the reason the six times NBA champion and eventually the captain of the true American dream team made plenty of friends, as well as enemies, all through his climb to stardom.
Such was the fierceness of this player that he once even punched Steve Kerr, his own teammate, during a practice session. Known to be extremely tough to deal with if the things didn’t fall into place, no one ever wanted to disrespect or mess with the GOAT. His behaviour could be mainly attributed to his standout feature – competitiveness. Regardless of what he was playing, Michael always hated to be on the losing side.
He just doesn’t have in his DNA to handle defeat. His competitive spirit has often pushed him over the edge too, as he’s often in the news for his gambling habits. He is the kind of player that if he were to exclude himself from playing at online casinos, he’d be looking for casinos not connected to Gamstop the next day! Let’s now tell you about 3 of Michael Jordan’s crazy gambling episodes!
Betting on luggage
While it might sound crazy to many, such was the level of Michael’s gambling problems that he would often indulge in prop bets related to the weirdest of things. While being on a return flight from the Olympics, as team USA was eagerly waiting for their luggage to arrive at Portland, Michael bet on being the first guy to get his luggage. And the crazy thing is that he won, making the easiest $ 900 ever in his life! Later on he revealed that the win was courtesy the money he paid to the airport staff!
Hitting the casino before the play-off game
You wouldn’t want to get close to Atlantic City, especially if you’re playing New York Knicks in the play-offs the next day, and you know that you are an obsessive gambler. Not paying heed to any advice, Jordan partied all night in a casino, before the game day. But, we’re talking about Michael Jordan and nothing is impossible for him. Bulls bounced back from the game lost the next day and thereafter won the series easily, bagging the last back-to-back championship for Michael, back in 1993.
Poker before the Olympic finals!
The USA dream team and Michael Jordan pretty much had very easy days in the office during the Barcelona Olympics, beating every opposition by over 40 points, in each one of their games. The tournament actually had a relaxing effect on Jordan and his buddies, who spent majority of their time partying and you guessed it right –gambling! If rumours are to be believed, Michael Jordan slept no more than one hour after staying up, playing poker till 6 AM, along with his buddies Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson. Needless to say, they completely crushed Croatia’s hopes of winning the gold in the final next day.
