The risky passion of the greatest American basketball player
We know Michael Jeffrey Jordan as the most famous world-renowned American basketball player, who reached unprecedented heights in the sport and became an idol of several generations. Many basketball fans are still fascinated by him, and young players are inspired by his success and dream to get at least close to his results. We have certainly heard about his incredible victories and achievements, but did you know about Michael Jordan’s gambling history, which is no less interesting?
As it turned out, everyone’s favorite athlete has a gambling problem. When this became known, the news shocked many, because everyone is used to seeing Michael as an exceptionally motivating man who works hard on himself and his shortcomings, but no one could even imagine that he would find such a pernicious passion for gambling. In numerous interviews, the athlete said that he had no addiction to gambling, but his actions tell a different story.
The dangerous fascination of a world sports star
Jordan’s interest in gambling first became known back in 1993, when he was repeatedly seen in casino establishments. In those years, there were no online casinos, such as neteller casino, so everyone attended regular gambling establishments. Who knows, if online gambling back then had been as developed as now, how soon would everyone have known about the great basketball player’s adventurous hobby? But even then, information about the big losses of the sportsman leaked out to the press. In his turn, Michael admitted he was spending a lot of money on his new hobby.
In some of his interviews, Michael shared details about his gambling addiction and said that it pushed him to rash and even crazy things. Viewers and fans were shocked by these revelations of their idol because the image of an ideal man, who achieves his goals and strives for self-improvement, shattered in pieces. Many people still do not believe it and claim that it is the fiction of the tabloids and envious people.
In later interviews, Michael Jordan gave rather contradictory information. He stated he was not addicted to gambling and that he had never crossed any lines that could harm him and his family.
Gambling in Jordan’s life
Despite the diverse information, facts about some events in Michael Jordan’s life related to the gambling industry are still surfacing in the press. It was not without scandalous situations that struck the world. No one expected this from a man who was held up as an example to children and considered a model of diligence and virtue. It is known that the basketball player tried to quit the sport several times, but still came back to it. Many believe that each of his leave had something to do with gambling.
In 1993, Jordan had his first retirement, which was rumored to be closely related to the death of his father, who was killed allegedly because of Michael’s debts and gambling problems. Whether this is true or not is still a mystery, known only to the great athlete. As the highest-paid athlete in the history of world sports, Jordan still managed to go into debt, according to some people from his inner circle.
One of the stories was told by his longtime friend and colleague Antoine Walker. According to him, one day he and Michael were playing a card game. Jordan was so caught up in the excitement that he sat at the game for more than a day (about 36 hours, to be exact). He was so seized by a desperate desire to win that he canceled an important NBA conference.
The stakes were skyrocketing, and the exhaustion of Jordan, who was literally falling asleep at the table, was at an all-time high. Michael managed to win a decent amount, but he could not stop and decided to go all the way, which led him to a huge loss.
This scandalous story shook the whole world. Famous presenter Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, who was only 23 years old at the time, said that she had received a very indecent proposal from Michael Jordan. She was in the company of the athlete and another man she did not know, who was also into gambling. They were sitting in one of the bars when Michael offered to play for sex with Lisa.
His words shocked her, and she tried to talk him out of the idea. This story confirms that a man driven by excitement can often forget the norms of decency and morality. So as it turned out, do not idealize famous people, because everyone has his own vices and secret addictions that can ruin a person. Michael Jordan was clear proof of that.