Michael Jordan has shut down any rumors suggesting he has a gambling problem. MJ’s gambling history was addressed in the sixth episode of ‘The Last Dance’, but Jordan clarified he has a competition problem, not a gambling one.
The sixth episode of the documentary covered the Chicago Bulls’ championship run in the 1993 NBA Playoffs. The Bulls had lost the second game of the 1993 ECF against the New York Knicks. After the game was finished, it was revealed that Jordan visited Atlantic City with his father the night that game, getting some heat for his behavior.
He addressed the issue, assuring he only bet on himself, not on games.
“I never bet on games. I only bet on myself, and that was golf,” Jordan said. “Do I like to play blackjack? Yeah, I like playing blackjack. There’s no laws with that. The league did call me, and they asked me questions about it, and I told them exactly what was happening.”
When asked if he had a gambling problem the 57-year-old said: “No, because I could stop gambling. I have a competition problem, a competitive problem.”
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It was also revealed that the league investigated the situation, but they determined MJ didn’t bet on games. The late David Stern, the former NBA commissioner, made an appearance on the docuseries, revealing the details of the investigation.
“Michael was betting on his golf game — larger numbers than you or I might bet if we played golf together,” Stern said. “But given his earnings and the like, it just never reached epic, crisis levels in my view.”
Last week, former Jordan’s agent David Falk explained Jordan received plenty of criticism for his gambling habits, saying Michael was extremely competitive when it came to betting.
“There’s very few things people criticized him for. The gambling thing was it. He loves to gamble. He’s an extremely competitive guy.” He further added to his comments by saying, “If he loses $150,000 playing golf, big freaking deal. If I told him tomorrow, Hey, I’ve got an appearance for you for five minutes for $150,000,”
“So yes, he lost money in gambling and it sort of had a little bit of a black eye for five minutes. He apologized and the thing went away. But any of these Oliver Stone conspiracy theories that somehow it pushed him out of basketball were ridiculous,” Falk explained.
This is one of the hottest topics in the NBA and this won’t be the last time we hear about this. That’s for sure.
