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Infamous Gambler Unveils How Michael Jordan Tried to Save Him

Published 07/13/2022, 7:30 PM EDT

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Michael Jordan and his love for gambling are no stranger to the world. The NBA legend has talked about this love of his multiple times and he isn’t ashamed of it. Moreover, many believe his craze for gambling comes from Jordan’s ever-present love for competition.

However, this habit of his almost got him into serious trouble once. After he brought back the Gold Medal with the United States National Team, MJ testified in court for one of his gambling acquaintances.

James “Slim” Bouler is a renowned gambler, and he has several connections with Jordan. He was arrested in 1992 after the officials at the Charlotte airport found a cheque for $57,000 with him. This cheque happened to be from the Chicago Bulls legend, Michael Jordan.

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Bouler was arrested on charges of money laundering and also acquitted of drug dealing. Although he faced a long time in prison, Bouler revealed that MJ tried to save him in court.

Bouler said, “Knowing him (Michael Jordan) as an individual, Jordan had told them there was no drugs around me, period. No beer, no liquor, no nothing.

During the testimony of James Bouler, Michael made an eight-minute appearance. He admitted to giving Bouler the $57,000 cashier cheque in order to cover up golf losses, in addition to the money he had borrowed for poker and other debts.

Michael Jordan almost cost his team due to gambling issues

Although Michael Jordan was a menace on the court for the Chicago Bulls, his off-court activities sometimes got the better of him. In one such instance, when the Bulls took on the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals of 1993, MJ was not looking at his best.

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Moreover, the 6 time NBA champion visited Atlantic City and spent a long time gambling. Interestingly enough, this issue was highlighted in ‘The Last Dance’ documentary as well.

Nevertheless, in typical Jordan style, he shut his haters and critics on the court. Despite struggling initially, he ended the series with sensational numbers. MJ averaged 32.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.0 assists to close the series 4-2.

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Written by:

Abhinava Ghosh

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Abhinava is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication. Abhinava has been following NBA for the past 6 years and is a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry.
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Edited by:

Arunaditya Aima