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Michael Jordan, Once Publicly Called Cheap by Charles Barkley, Was Forced to Tip 20 Times More by NHL Legend Wayne Gretzky in Vegas

Published 12/06/2022, 7:45 AM EST

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If Michael Jordan is considered the GOAT of basketball, Wayne Gretzky holds the same reputation for ice hockey. The two are widely argued as the best to ever play their respective sports. And when the two hung out, surprisingly, Gretzky may have schooled Jordan in a manner of teaching.

Michael Jordan is known to be an avid aficionado of gambling. Be it in any way, shape, or form. From betting on golf courses to playing cards on the Chicago Bulls jet, Jordan could’ve been categorized as somewhat of a compulsive gambler.

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Michael Jordan had a learning moment

But for the billionaire ex-athlete, Jordan certainly did not know how to tip. And that is where Wayne Gretzky came in. Back in the day, Jordan and Gretzky decided to test their luck with a game of poker.

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The two were in Las Vegas at a poker game. Jordan must’ve ordered a drink and when the waitress came with his drink, MJ only tipped her $5. Now, that was certainly low according to Vegas standards, not to mention according to Jordan’s standards as well.

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That ended up catching Wayne Gretzky’s attention. He decided to intervene and teach the basketball superstar a thing or two about how to tip, especially in Las Vegas. 

Gretzky took the $5 chip that Jordan had given to the waitress and replaced it with a $100 chip. And not from his own pile of chips. But instead, he took that $100 chip from Jordan’s side of the table and gave it to the waitress.

As soon as he did that, Gretzky told Jordan, “That’s how we tip in Vegas, Mike.” Talk about a learning moment for Michael Jordan from another great athlete. So, it is a fair assumption that MJ might not have repeated that mistake again.

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When Barkley called Jordan cheap on TV

Jordan was quite competitive. And he added huge wagers to back it up. Jordan would even gamble with the arena guards before his basketball games. A brief of that was also captured in Jordan’s documentary, ‘The Last Dance.’

Another known instance was when Charles Barkley called Michael Jordan cheap despite being so rich. Barkley had once mentioned that Jordan would slap his hand when Barkley would give money to homeless people.

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Watch This Story – Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan’s wildest gambling stories

While narrating the incident Barkley said, “Oh yeah, he’s cheap [Michael jordan]“. He then added, “If they can ask you for spare change, they can say welcome to McDonald’s. Can I help you please.” That incident definitely tells one thing about Jordan. He did not like giving handouts.

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Written by:

Abhishek Dhariwal

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Abhishek Dhariwal is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He earned his bachelor's degree in English Honors from St. Xavier's College and his master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from AAFT School of Mass Communication and Journalism.
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Edited by:

Vineet Nandwana