Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever live.
That much is common knowledge to nearly the entire global population. What is less common knowledge is Jordan’s affinity for gambling and golfing.
Former Chicago Blackhawks player (and star in his own right) Jeremy Roenick recently joined 670 The Score, a Chicago-based sports talk radio station, and shared one of the more unbelievable Michael Jordan stories I’ve ever heard.
Here’s how it went:
I’ve got a good story, I don’t know if I should tell on the radio, but screw it, I’ll tell it. Back in the 90s when the Bulls were on fire, this was end of the season for us, end of the season for them.
I get a call from Michael, ‘meet me at Sunset Ridge [golf course] early, we’re going to go play 18 holes.’ We didn’t have a game, we had a day off, so I meet him at Sunset Ridge.
We played a round, and I beat him for a couple thousand [dollars] and I’m getting ready to leave. Now, the Bulls are playing that night. They’re playing Cleveland. That night. So I’m thinking he’s leaving. It’s like 10 o’clock [a.m.]. He’s like, ‘no, let’s go play again.’
So we go fill up a bag full of ice and Coors Light and we walk again. We roll around another 18 [holes], and I take him for another couple [thousand dollars].
By now we’ve been drinking all afternoon, and now he’s going from Sunset Ridge to the stadium to play a game. I’m messing around like, ‘I’m going to call my bookie and all the money you just lost to me I’m putting on Cleveland.’
He goes, ‘I’ll tell you what, I’ll bet you that we win by more than 20 points and I have more than 40 [points].’ And I’m like, ‘done!’
Son of a gun goes out and scores 52 [points] and they win by 26 or something. After 36 holes of golf and having maybe 10 Bud Lights.
The man, Michael Jordan, to me, is probably the best athlete that I’ve ever seen, that I’ve ever been around to watch play and the way that he presented himself. I mean, it was just amazing.
After the first half I knew my money was gone.
Jeremy Roenick on 670 The Score
Roenick guesstimated that this incredible story happened in 1992 or 1993, during the heyday of the Bulls’ dynasty. According to Yahoo Sports, the game Roenick was likely talking about happened on March 28, 1992. In the Bulls’ 126-102 win over the Cavaliers Jordan dropped 44 points.
Jordan’s competitive streak and passion for gambling have both been the topic of an urban legend or two. This story serves as affirmation.
The full clip can be seen below:
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