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Is Billionaire Michael Jordan a Good Tipper? Former NBA Ball Boy Unveils Inside Story

Published 04/05/2024, 8:53 AM EDT

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Behind the NBA games, ball boys tackle all the less glamorous grunt work. Besides assisting the players and referees during games and maintaining the court, the biggest perk is getting to see the lesser-known version of the players. They get to witness all the locker room stories and the iconic games, and sometimes, the players also pay a good tip to the ball boys. Or even give away their jerseys or sneakers. Recently, one such encounter came into the spotlight when one of them revealed Michael Jordan as a generous tipper in the league. Guess who?

In the latest episode of The Mark Jackson Show, the retired NBA player’s best friend, David Snowden, shared his insights on working with Michael Jordan. He was the ball boy for the New York Knicks, and when Jackson asked his best friend to name the biggest tipper as a player in the visiting locker room, Snowden said, “Michael Jordan by far, I mean, he was always gracious and incredible every game; he took care of all the ball boys. I did the visit locker room, but incredible.”

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While Snowden mentioned Jordan as a good tipper, there’s someone who disagrees with him. And that one person is none other than Charles Barkley.

READ MORE: “I was so disappointed”: Having missed the billion dollar train, 7x NBA champion recalls being upset over Michael Jordan for a peculiar reason

Charles Barkley believes Michael Jordan is a bad tipper

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Jordan and Barkley shared a great friendship before conflicts strained their relationship; they were often spotted golfing or having a good time together. In his book, ‘I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It’, Sir Charles spoke in detail about his companionship with the Bulls legend. The book was launched in 2003. 

Additionally, he had also noted how the 6x champion wasn’t a good tipper, claiming that the Chicago Bulls legend was stingy when it came to money. “The funny thing about this is that Michael is so g**damn cheap. Michael ain’t the most popular guy in Las Vegas. He’ll win $1 million in the casino and not tip the people,” Barkley wrote.

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Another story was shared by the former vice president of the Hard Rock Hotel, Rich Strafella. Strafella mentioned that Jordan once gave a $5 chip to a waitress during one of his trips to Las Vegas. However, the legend was soon called out by the man accompanying him, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. He had replaced Jordan’s tip, placing a $100 chip on the tray. It’s quite an interesting story, but we haven’t yet heard it from the legends themselves.

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What is your take? Do you think Michael Jordan is a generous tipper? Let us know below.

READ MORE: Gooey Grandfather Charles Barkley Gets Exposed on Live TV With Revelation of His Only Social Media Account

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Written by:

Pritha Debroy

1,260Articles

One take at a time

Pritha is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. After reporting on the luxurious lifestyle of celebrities for a year, she used that experience to cover the glamor side of the basketball world. She has expertly covered Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan's complicated love story and the lavish vacations of NBA superstars, among other off-court scoops.
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Edited by:

Sanchari Bhaduri