Michael Jordan's gambling addiction was no secret. David Stern and the whole NBA knew it; the Chicago Bulls did, and so did all of his fans. While the six-time champion never admitted he was addicted to this vice, MJ once went on the record to say that he's done, in his own words, stupid things while gambling. According to Mr. Air, his competitive drive led to some of his stupid moments.
"Yeah, I've gotten myself into [gambling] situations where I would not walk away, and I've pushed the envelope," Jordan said in the interview as published by ESPN. "It's very embarrassing. It's one of the things you totally regret. So you look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'I was stupid.'"
MJ believes his habit was blown out of proportion
The five-time MVP didn't share what exactly those embarrassing and stupid moments were, but they definitely happened during his playing years in the NBA. The Bulls legend also admitted that he's paid for the punishments that resulted from his situation and that he feels the media has blown his gambling habit out of proportion simply because they don't have anything to nitpick about his off-court matters.
"Most of my life is as normal as it can be. I am an easy guy to get along with, I am a people-type of person, and it's kind of understandable that people seeing me out doing things are like, 'hey, he is not doing things that nobody else would probably do,'" Jordan said in an interview with Australian TV back in 1993.
Jordan 's gambling habit became a big deal in public because it reached a point when it became extreme. Mike's golf buddies used to say that he'd gamble so that he wanted his opponent to pay more money than they could afford to lose .
It also wasn't like His Airness wasn't hard to spot, as he was often seen entering a casino, like when he did it in the 1993 NBA Finals . With how often he gambled, it's not a surprise that even MJ had his "stupid" moments.
Related: Jamal Crawford on why Michael Jordan was on a different playing field than everyone: "He had 2 out of 4 cars ever made"
Jordan didn't want to stop gambling
The thing about the Bulls legend being scrutinized by the public for his gambling habit is that it was done because he was doing something that many didn't agree with. After all, MJ was a role model that kids and even adults looked up to, which is why the deed was frowned upon, considering that he was painted as this perfect superhero on the basketball court.
However, this is where Jordan drew the line. He no longer wanted to stop gambling just to abide by what people wanted him to do. The Hall of Famer felt that it wasn't his duty to be a role model outside of the court as well.
"It's heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody," he said. "My job was to go out there and play the game of basketball as best I can."
So, Mike felt that his so-called mistakes were his to judge and not for the public, the fans, and the NBA to ever hold against him.
Related: Julius Erving believes no player is similar to him in the modern NBA: “I was a small forward, but I really played like a power forward”
Local News
