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When Michael Jordan Scored 50+ Points Despite an Entire Night of Booze and Gambling

Published 05/01/2020, 2:16 PM EDT

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The world is filled with tales defining the greatness of Michael Jordan. He just can’t be contained and we know if for a fact. His fierce personality has impacted the lives of many athletes who have been dazzled by his insane abilities on the court. 

Jeremy Roenick, an NHL great is another victim of Jordan’s impeccable showcase of his superstardom. He went on ‘670 the Score,’ a Chicago sports-talk radio program a year ago, and narrated a story about Jordan’s obsession with gambling and how in spite of it, he proved himself when it mattered.

 It was during the 1992 NBA season when Roenick was called to play 18 holes with ‘His Airness,’ who had a huge love for golf. “We played a round, I beat him for a couple thousand and got ready to leave. Now, the Bulls are playing that night. They played Cleveland that night. I’m thinking he’s leaving, it’s 10 o’clock. He goes, ‘No, let’s go play again,’ Roenick said.

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“So we go and fill up a bag full of ice and Coors Light and walk again. We roll around another 18 and I take him for another couple,” he added. Now, the Bulls indeed were playing the Cleveland Cavaliers that night, and Jordan had just played 36 holes. He had a game to play that night.

How Michael Jordan amazed Roenick with his outstanding play

After a game of 36 holes and a lot of beers, one can expect a person to lose energy and give in for the rest of the day, but not Jordan. He is no human. The man is always a spot above us. No wonder Larry Bird called him a “God in disguise.”

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Here is the rest of Roenick’s story on how the night unfolded. “Now we’ve been drinking all afternoon and he’s going from Sunset Ridge to the stadium, to play a game. I’m messing around. I’m like, I’m gonna call my bookie. All the money you just lost to me, I’m putting on Cleveland.”

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Roenick was so sure about Jordan tiring out, owing to the number of beers he had and the stretch of golf they played earlier in the day. Michael Jordan remained unfazed by his comments. He replied to him in the most MJ way possible. 

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“He goes, ‘I’ll tell you what. I’ll bet you that we’ll win by 20 points and I have more than 40.” Now does this seem a bit too cocky for even a man like the great Michael Jordan? Well, he doesn’t utter words unless he means it. If he makes a promise, he will live up to it. 

The high-flying superstar went out and did what he predicted he would. Roenick in no way could believe it. Hell, how can a man, ten beers down go out and even play his game in the first place? “Son of a gun goes out and scores 52 and they win by 26 points or something,” Roenick exclaimed.

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya

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Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.
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