Michael Jordan's legendary attitude to sports betting

Michael Jordan is one of the most famous athletes of our time. After spending 11 full seasons with the Chicago Bulls, he has cemented his place in the Sports Hall of Fame and become a living legend. But his activities off the court (more specifically, in sports betting) are just as impressive.

If you look at any list of famous gamblers, Michael Jordan would be in the top five - not only because of his love for betting on platforms like bet365 Nigeria, but also because of the crazy amounts he has won and lost. Let's take a look at the sports icon's infamous betting history.

Money Man Michael

According to Investopedia, Michael Jordan is the richest athlete in the world with a fortune of $1 billion. It's not all down to his basketball career. In fact, he "only" made $94 million during his time with the Bulls (and briefly with the Washington Wizards).

Jordan's basketball career ended in 2003, but his cash has continued to grow at a phenomenal rate, thanks to the support of his many brands. His relationship with Nike reportedly earned the star $480 million between 2000 and 2012.

Add in $18 million from Gatorade, $14 million from Upper Deck (a popular collectible card brand), $14 million from Hanes and $10.6 million from XEL cologne. Let's not forget his Warner Brothers spin-off Space Jam, which grossed over $250 million at the worldwide box office.

When the bankroll is ready to burn, why bother betting?

Dirty competition series

Jordan's competition is as legendary as his sporting career: from racing to see who can drink the water the fastest, to trash-talking Bill Clinton on the golf course. Chicago Bulls teammate Jay Williams talked about Jordan's $100,000 stakes in Rock, Scissors, Paper games.

Of course, the flip side of his insane (and somewhat insane) competitive streak is the infamous underdog. In the summer of 1992, coaches Chuck Daly and Jordan played a friendly round of golf , which Daly won. Jordan, being a big loser, could not let this happen. In a disgusted mood, he banged on Daley's hotel room door until he agreed to a repeat match, which Jordan won.

Crazy competition and an inability to get away with losing can work wonders on the court, but it's a dangerous combination when it comes to betting on sports!

Michael's crazy golf betting

The exact extent of Jordan's extravagant golf betting was made known by his erstwhile close friend Charles Barkley. In an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, Barkley described how he would play several hundred per hole, while Jordan, on the other hand, bet $300,000 on just one hole.

Jordan loses $1.25 million

The sportsman turned commentator is not the only one to speak out about Jordan's excessive golf betting. Richard Esquinas, a San Diego businessman, has written a book about his four-year golfing relationship with Jordan.

In the 1993 book, "Michael and I: Our Gambling Addiction... My Cry for Help!" Eskinas describes how the two would play each other for thousands of dollars at a time.

At one point Jordan found himself on a particularly bad losing streak, owing Eskinas $1.25 million, which he managed to win back to $902,000. Eskinas claimed Jordan was evasive in his approach to payment, and they eventually agreed to pay in instalments of $300,000.

NBA investigates Jordan's betting habits

In 1992, Jordan was called to testify in the money laundering case of convicted drug dealer James "Slim" Buehler. It turned out that Jordan had written him a cheque for $57,000 to compensate him for gambling losses.

The following spring, Jordan was spotted leaving a high roller poker game early in the morning, shortly before the main game. The NBA soon launched two investigations into Jordan's betting behaviour. However, NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said the investigation was only about Jordan's association with "inappropriate" people and the possibility of bringing a bad reputation on himself and the NBA.

There was no evidence that Jordan had bet on his games - or any other NBA game - and the charges were dropped in March 1992. No further action was taken. However, in the midst of the investigation, Michael Jordan made a statement that shocked the world and started one of the most famous conspiracy theories in sports.

Rumours of Jordan's retirement

On 6 October 1993, Michael Jordan abruptly announced his retirement from basketball. For a player who had reached the peak of his career, winning three consecutive NBA titles, three NBA Finals MVP awards (1988, 1991 and 1992), plus seven straight scoring titles, it seemed like an odd move indeed.

At the time, his decision was attributed to grief over the loss of his father, who had been killed earlier that summer. However, as more stories emerged about Jordan's insane gambling, rumours began to circulate that this absence was in fact a secret suspension due to an uncontrollable gambling addiction.

The conspiracy is that the "retirement" was a cover-up to preserve Jordan's impeccable image and the good name of the NBA. Both Jordan and the NBA have denied the allegations , calling them "complete fabrications". At one point it was even suggested that his father's murder was in retaliation for unpaid gambling debts to some undesirables.

Regardless of whether the rumours are true or not, Michael Jordan returned to the court for the Bulls in March, ending his 18-month absence.

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