Michael Jordan was heading towards his first three-peat when he received a harsh blow on his reputation. Back in 1993, a man claiming to be MJ’s former friend released a book claiming that the Chicago Bulls legend was addicted to gambling and did not pay his debts. The allegations prompted the NBA to look into the matter during the playoffs. Moreover, the man in question, Richard Esquinas, who wanted Jordan to be ‘reprimanded’ for his 1.2 million debt, once confessed he had other motives behind writing the book.

Richard Esquinas wrote and published a book named, ‘Michael & Me: Our Gambling addiction– My Cry for help!’ Esquinas used to play golf with Michael Jordan at one point in time. In his book, Esquinas claimed that he and Jordan went on a gambling spree which resulted in the Bulls legend owing Esquinas about $1.2 million.

Esquinas revealed underlying motives behind controversial book 

During a 1993 interview with CBS’ Connie Chung, Esquinas claimed to have written the book to warn Jordan about his serious gambling problems as a friend. Richard Esquinas stated, “My hope was to maybe reach out to Michael and maybe he could see by what I was going through, by what I had experienced, that maybe he can gain some insight into what impacts gambling and the situation I went through.”

Meanwhile, Chung pressed Esquinas on having ulterior motives of monetary gains for writing the book. In response, Esquinas denied money being the primary objective og his venture. But he also admitted, “If the book sells and does well-I’m a businessman. I hope it does. I hope it makes money.”

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However, he was met with criticism from Chung, who suggested that no ‘friend’ would write a devastating book about a person’s gambling problem and release it during the playoffs when he needed to focus on the game. 

Meanwhile, Chung also confronted MJ about losing $1.2 million to Esquinas. Michael Jordan denied the allegations and claimed to have paid a $300,000 debt he owed over a three-year period. Jordan confessed that he was in the process of finishing up the payment when the dishonoring book was released.

Esquinas reprimanded Michael Jordan

During his interview, Richard Esquinas shared that he and MJ went wagering out of control at a level that nobody should. Moreover, Esquinas stated, “I don’t want to play NBA Commissioner. I don’t want to play the NBA. But, Michael should be reprimanded for gambling out of control.”

 Chung pointed out that the six-time NBA champ did not break any NBA rules with his gambling habits. Esquinas agreed that he did not, prompting Chung to ask why the should MJ be reprimanded. She also asked Esquinas if he had any knowledge about Jordan’s illegal gambling activities which the author denied.

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However, despite the pressure of shocking allegations, Michael Jordan managed to win his first three-peat in 1993.