Basketball is not the only common interest that Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley share. While there have been other sports as well where both the stars tried hands on, the most serious common interest between the two has been their interest in gambling. So it’s no surprise that the two stars betted against each other on multiple instances.
One such has recently come to light in an article by The Athletic. The story covers that as much as everyone used to take an interest in Mike’s game of basketball, people also enjoyed watching him in other sports. And this includes his side bets with Barkley therein.
One of the popular instances the article narrates is when MJ and Barkley took to the tennis court where the former was said to cover up for his inexperience with his athletic ability. “One year, Curren, the tennis pro, remembered Jordan and Barkley arguing over who was the better athlete. They decided to play a set of tennis for $10,000. Jordan won easily,” read the article by The Athletic.
While this could’ve been without getting money involved, but not making a bet when the opportunity presents itself is not something either of them would do. And it’s not as if that either of the stars have not admitted to the habit. In an interview once stated that he won close to a million about 5 or 6 times. But also admitted to losing a similar amount around 10 to 20 times. “It got out of hand. I quit for like 2 years,” Chuck added.
However, he admitted he’ll probably continue doing it but not to a great extent. “I’m not going to quit gambling because it’s my life, and it’s my money,” he said, as per ESPN. As for the Chicago Bulls legend, he stated gambling to be a hobby for him rather than a problem. He once accepted to get things a bit out of hand with this hobby. “I think I have a very positive life. Naturally, there have been some things that I have done wrong, and most people have. The gambling thing is something that kind of get out of proportion,” he said.
The time when Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan played golf for $10,000 a hole
Cedric the Entertainer shared this instance on an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He shed light on Mike’s love for golf and how his bets throughout the game got pretty serious. The 60-year-old shared a particular momement that quickly got him out of his pay range.
“The time I played, (Charles) Barkley was with us, and they were playing like ten thousand a hole, $10,000 a hole,” he recalled. The stakes kind of scared Cedric, which should’ve been the case with most individuals. And more so considering Jordan wanted Cedric also to play.
However, the stand-up comedian tried avoiding it by hilariously stating he would have to open a second line of credit just to play golf with them. But Mike still got him to agree to put $1,000 on each hole. Little did Cedric realize it was 18 of those, and he lost every one of them. And this is still one of the many instances that Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan betted against each other until the two drifted apart after Buck’s one take on live TV.
Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.