Michael Jordan may or may not be the best basketball player of all-time, but no one can deny that he had a penchant for gambling. Jordan himself has admitted as much, telling 60 Minutes in 2005 that “I’ve gotten myself into situations where… I’ve pushed the envelope”.
While most of Jordan’s gambling came at casinos and on the golf course, the Chicago Bulls legend also ventured into betting on other sports as well. And by Julian Edelman’s account, Jordan had a lot riding on the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLIX.
Julian Edelman’s Michael Jordan story
On his “Games With Names” podcast, Edelman told the story of meeting Jordan (plus Derek Jeter) for the first time.
I saw Jordan, he was kind of standoff-ish. I start talking with Jeter and as soon as the conversation is about to end and I’m about to leave… Jordan comes up to me and he goes ‘Hey kid, I’ve got a bunch of money on you, don’t f*** it up’. And that’s the only thing he said to me.
Edelman could only respond with “yes sir, Mr. Jordan”.
The Patriots ended up winning the Super Bowl in stunning fashion, with Malcolm Butler picking off Russell Wilson at the goal line to end the game. Edelman was outstanding in the game, catching nine passes for 109 yards and what ended up being the game-winning touchdown. He also added a seven-yard rush.
We’ll probably never know how much money Jordan had on the line, but it appears Edelman should be in line for some residuals from Air Jordan.
