Michael Jordan always found a way to make things interesting. Rather than just winning, he was also motivated by any chance he had of winning outside the pitch, too. The NBA icon consistently placed competitive bets during his early days in the NBA. Having spent a lot of time with Jordan on the golf course, a former golf partner of the Chicago Bulls legend once revealed how a casual game of golf turned into a war as Jordan wanted to spice things up.
In the book Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made by David Halberstam, former Vice Mayor Eugene Ellison talks about what it was like to go golfing with Michael Jordan. “Man, it was like World War III playing with Michael… He’ll wear you out, he’ll drive you crazy. But there is no harm in what Michael is doing. He’s only having a good time,” said Ellison.
According to Halberstam, “At first, he bet $100 a hole, sometimes $100 a putt. Later, the bets reached $1000 a putt.” So even if the bets started off small, they eventually racked up into the thousands for even a single putt. Jordan was extremely competitive, and through his success in the NBA, he had the money to heat his passion even more.
But his betting habits might not have turned out well for him, as he was once called out by another golfer for having racked up over a million dollars in losses.
Michael Jordan denied the betting accusation
Back in 1993, the book Michael & Me: Our Gambling Addiction… My Cry for Help was published by Richard Esquinas, a friend of Michael Jordan. In the book, Esquinas said Michael Jordan owed him $1.25 million after losing countless bets on golf.
When Jordan was confronted about these claims, he denied them. He said that the number was never as high as pointed out by Esquinas. He also added that he felt betrayed by his friend’s actions, as these claims from him made fans trash the NBA legend for his gambling habits.
Years down the line, it was revealed that Jordan paid back the money that he owed Esquinas in installments, but the actual sum is still unknown.