Michael Jordan Was Once In The Same Room With An Italian Mafia Boss – What Happened Next?

Today, Michael Jordan and his fame are a result of his illustrious NBA career. However, anyone who has followed his journey is well aware of his other interests ranging from golf to betting. Already highlighted a little in last year’s The Last Dance, the Chicago Bulls legend is known to make random bets on various games – sometimes only for a few bucks.

During an interview with Mike Tyson, an Italian mobster recalled one such story about Jordan, which revolves around a five-bucks bet.

What does the Italian mob boss have to say about Michael Jordan?

While the interview starts with some basic conversation, they soon move on to athletes, speaking of how they love to bet and gamble. They even mention how its the competition that makes them gamble, which involves high stakes. With that, Jordan is mentioned, and the mobster shares an anecdote about the time he spent with NBA players.

“I love Jordan. To me, he’s still my all-time favorite basketball player but we were at a security meeting watch with the NBA, and Michael’s playing the head of security for table tennis,” he added, explaining that Jordan was playing for bucks. “Of course, Michael wins. He wins everything”.

READ MORE: How Many Olympics Did Michael Jordan Play? How Many Gold Medals Does He Have?

However, as they were about to leave when Horace Grant was in his warmup gear, Jordan asked them to go get his five bucks. “He goes up, he comes down. He hands Michael the five bucks. I witnessed it all and Horace looks and he said “Michael, five bucks?”, and he says ‘yeah. This is my trophy. I beat you’. Puts it in his pockets and walks away. I said ‘wow, this is intense’”.

Later, he discussed how he does understand why people gamble, even if he himself was not into it. The 80s and 90s remain a stark contrast to today’s gambling, especially when fantasy football and betting are ‘legitimized.

AUCHTERARDER, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 26: Ex-NBA star Michael Jordan watches the action during the Morning Fourballs of the 2014 Ryder Cup on the PGA Centenary course at the Gleneagles Hotel on September 26, 2014 in Auchterarder, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

That being said, Jordan’s gambling has often been discussed, even by other NBA icons like Charles Barkley. In an interview with SportsCenter, Barkley revealed that Jordan gambled every day while competing in the 1992 Olympics where they often went big. Jordan’s gambling in Vegas during the postseason had also had gotten people curious, many wondering if it did affect his game.

READ MORE: How Many Times Did Michael Jordan Retire From NBA? What All He’s Done Post Retirement?

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