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Michael Jordan is revered for what he was able to accomplish on the basketball court and is widely considered the greatest the game has ever seen. However, he also faced his share of criticism for the various controversies he found himself involved in off the court.
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Among them was his well-documented involvement in gambling during his playing days with the Chicago Bulls. While there was no definitive evidence that Jordan had a gambling addiction, he openly acknowledged that his competitive nature drove him to gamble on golf and cards, and that he loved to bet.
Through it all, his parents, particularly his late father, James, stood behind him, not to condone the gambling but rather to shield his son from those who came down hard on Michael.
“He’s not God”
One instance when James came to the defense of Michael was in October 1992, with the basketball superstar taking the stand in a Charlotte, North Carolina, court during the drug and money-laundering trial of James L. “Slim” Bouler, a convicted felon and golf hustler.
Jordan was called to testify after a personal check he had signed for $57,000 was found in Bouler’s possession. Initially, Michael said it was a business loan, but under oath, he admitted that it was a payment for gambling losses for a single weekend.
Outside the courtside after Jordan’s testimony, his father shared his thoughts on the controversy involving his son, emphasizing that Michael was like anyone else and had his shortcomings.
“The only perfect one I know of is God. He’s not God, he’s just Michael Jordan,” James said.
Jordan was investigated by the league over the controversy but was not found guilty of any wrongdoing. He was also not charged in the Bouler case and was only called as a witness.
But while concerns were raised over his gambling, Jordan underscored that he never bet on games. He touched on it in one of the episodes of his award-winning Netflix docuseries, “The Last Dance.”
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“I never bet on games. I only bet on myself, and that was golf. Do I like to play blackjack? ‘Yeah, I like playing blackjack.’ There’s no laws about that. The league did call me, and they asked me questions about it, and I told them exactly what was happening,” MJ stated.
Amid all the talk about his gambling during his NBA run, Jordan went on to have a legendary career. He won six league championships, earning Finals MVP each time, was a 14-time All-Star, a 10-time scoring champion, and was considered by many to be the greatest of all time for the impact he had on the game of basketball.
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Feeling stupid
Jordan kept his gambling ways generally under control, but there were cases in which he pushed the envelope and felt stupid about them.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten myself into [gambling] situations where I would not walk away and I’ve pushed the envelope. It’s very embarrassing … one of the things you totally regret. So you look at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I was stupid,’”Jordan told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview back in 2005.
These days, there is no verified report that Jordan no longer engages in gambling. He currently co-owns a NASCAR team and is deeply involved in it apart from attending to his other business interests. Forbes placed his current net worth at $4.3 billion, making him one of the wealthiest athletes in history.
Jordan had his missteps but has apparently learned from them and shaped up, not necessarily to be perfect, but at least to become a better individual.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 11:41 AM.