On the hardwood, MJ was a bad, bad man. Fans loved him and defenders feared him. Over his 13-season career, Michael Jordan achieved 2 three-peats and won 5 MVPs. He also secured a record-breaking 10 scoring titles along the way. With all this in his favor, it’s hard to imagine someone betting against the Bulls legend. But a former NHL All-Star did exactly that.

A Chicago star himself, this former Ice Hockey player recalls how a bet made on the golf course proved to him that Black Jesus was “the best athlete” of his lifetime.

Jeremy Roenick recalls the iconic gambling story

Jeremy Roenick is a former Ice Hockey player with a 20-year career in the National Hockey League. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks between 1988 – 1996. Back in 2019, the ESPN analyst gave an interview for the ‘McNeil & Parkins Show’. There, he talked about how a long day of golf combined with a couple of beers was no barrier to prevent MJ from dominating as usual.

Roenick recalled how he met Jordan at Sunset Ridge for a few rounds of golf, aware of the fact that MJ was due to play an NBA game later that evening. After beating him for a “couple thousand” in an 18 holes match, the NHL player was getting ready to leave. The Chicago Bulls legend, however, insisted that they play another round. After another 18 holes and a couple of ‘Bud Lights’ consumed by the players, Jordan lost another couple of thousand. After that, MJ headed directly for the stadium.

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Roenick called up his bookie and asked him to place his winnings for the day in favor of Michael’s opponents for the match, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Of course, when Michael hears the news, he bets Roenick that the Bulls would win by more than 20 points and that he would score more than 40 points himself. A bet is placed.

The result? A 26-point loss for Cleveland. And a whopping 52-point outburst from Mike.

While it has proved disastrous for him on some occasions, it has been a humbling experience for others as well.

Michael Jordan allegedly owed $1.2 Million

Michael Jordan’s history of gambling is a well-known fact amongst his fans.

The story which Roenick recalled took place around the same time that Michael Jordan was caught in a controversy.

Richard Esquinas, a then friend of His Airness, had used his book “Michael & Me: Our Gambling Addiction…My Cry For Help!” to bring out a less lovable side of the NBA legend.

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The book claimed that Jordan had lost $1.25 million in bets placed during golf matches.

When asked about the same during an interview, the 14× NBA All-Star said that the number was exaggerated and that he felt betrayed by his friend. Jordan denied any claims of being a compulsive gambler.

The truth, unfortunately, would not be revealed until years later. Jordan confessed that he had owed Esquinas $300k for the bets. But he also added that Esquinas wouldn’t receive a penny following the release of the book.

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