Admirable on the NBA courts, Michael Jordan was much less of a role model outside of it. For example, he never hid his fondness for gambling, even if it could earn him bad press.

A leading figure in the NBA for a good part of his career, he logically inherited an income accordingly.

Michael Jordan therefore had no reason to complain financially despite a salary that would seem ridiculous today within the league.

In any case, he could therefore afford to dedicate part of it… to gambling, he who placed himself in particular as a big fan of poker and casinos in general:

Backed Against the Wall, Jordan’s Scathing Response on Gambling

Given his immense popularity during his heyday, Jordan saw his every move spied upon by the American press.

His fondness for gambling did not escape the NBA community, which was somewhat concerned for him in this regard.

Enough to justify the question he was asked about it in 1993 in an interview with NBC Sports, to which he firmly responded:

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Ahmad Rashad: Do you have a problem with gambling?

Michael Jordan: No, I just enjoy gambling! It’s nothing more than a hobby! If I had a problem, I would be starving to death right now.

I would try to cash in my watch, my championship rings or my house. My wife would have left me or she and my children would have starved too.

I don’t have a problem, I just enjoy gambling. But I think some people are trying to make me out to be someone who has a problem.

In other words, for His Airness, his passion could only be considered an addiction if it had ruined him, which was not the case.

However, it is not certain that doctors would validate this diagnosis. In any case, this discussion did not encourage the illustrious full-back to distance himself from this most risky and expensive “hobby”.

In the early 2000s, for example, he was still caught betting huge sums of money in the middle of the night in Washington D.C.

And despite this, his fortune has continued to grow over the years.

Listed as a gambling addict, Michael Jordan did not want to remove this label from his forehead, but always rejected that of addict.

This, even if his numerous trips to the casino sent signals to the contrary.