Almost every NBA fan is aware of the controversy surrounding Michael Jordan and his gambling addiction. However, MJ denied the alleged addiction, he continued gambling as he admitted he liked the thrill of it. On the contrary, Charles Barkley, another alleged gambling addict left the vice after continuous setbacks that cost him several million dollars.

Charles Barkley stepped into the media business after his retirement. Currently, he is one of the most popular NBA analysts on ‘NBA on TNT’ and recently signed a contract worth $100 Million with TNT.

Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan rumble with the gamble

When Michael Jordan was surrounded by gambling controversies in the early 90s, Charles Barkley too was having trouble with gambling. In an episode of ‘The Seth Davis Show’, Barkley opened up about his gambling problems. In the interview, Chuck revealed that he had stopped gambling for two years after he lost several million dollars in Las Vegas.

He further went on to narrate his losing spree at the Sin City. He said, “I went to Vegas a bunch of times and won a million dollars in a weekend probably 10 times but I’ve also went to Vegas and lost a million probably three times that much.”

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Chuck lost close to $20 million dollars because of his indulgent gambling.  When the host asked if he was worried about the addiction, Chuck was quick to deny it. He said, “No, I was never worried about, you know, I take breaks here and there.” He also admitted that it was too late until he realized that things had gone out of hand.

Jordan’s alleged $1.2 Million debt

The book ‘Michael & Me: Our Gambling addiction-My cry for help!’ authored by Richard Esquinas in 1993 accused Air Jordan of failing to pay a $1.2 Million gambling debt to Esquinas. But, MJ denied the claims made in the book and further revealed that he had only lost $300,000 to Esquinas. Although MJ denied the claims, the accusation surely dampened his image.

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Michael Jordan has always been a global icon and inspired millions of people around the globe yet his gambling always comes under scrutiny. Do you think this is fair on Jordan? Let us know in the comments below.