Michael Jordan's incredible bet that uncovers stories of soccer players addicted to the game

One of the most distinctive traits of Michael Jordan's personality, and one that led him to become one of the greatest athletes of all time, is his competitiveness. In The Last Dance you could see that he used to take all the challenges personally and he loved gambling, not because he was a gambler, but because he loved to compete.

There are many anecdotes that reflect that side of him, like one that has just come to light. In dialogue with the CBS Sports 'All Things Covered' podcast, former NBA Antoine Walker recounted perhaps Jordan´s wildest bet, who that time put a lot of money at stake in a 36 hour card game. “When Michael called the ante, it always went up a little bit. It is a figure that everyone has to bring to the table. In this case it was $ 20,000 to enter the game. If you didn't have that money, you couldn't play. I remember that on that occasion we played 36 hours straight. We played against two other players, Mike and I were a couple. And we ended up losing $ 900,000”, said Walker.

Not only had they been in the game for a long time, but the money on the table was increasing and was on the verge of reaching seven figures. The former Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves player even said that Jordan decided to postpone the press conference for his return to the NBA for a couple of hours because he was so involved in the game. “I was going to Boston in a couple of days, so I had $ 100,000 with me. He always had money on him. Jordan had $ 200,000, but at one point in the game he sent his nephew for $ 500,000 more. The other couple also had money. We ended up losing $ 180,000 because Michael was too tired. He was literally falling asleep on the table”, confessed.

Antoine Walker also clarified that at the time that Mike told his nephew to come to his house for the half million, he told him that they were in a golf bag and that he would not allow his wife to see him taking that cash. Cards games, like Poker, or Casino disciplines have been linked with soccer players throughout history. In recent years, a large number of footballers have been the visible face of various online gaming platforms or, more recently, in mobile applications.

Five soccer players passionate about casinos

There are countless cases of footballers who use the casino and gambling, as a means of distraction, and if you like, relaxation in their free time. However, and without falling into the extreme of personalities who have lost all their fortune because of their addiction, personalities such as Wayne Rooney, Arturo Vidal, Gerard Pique, Mario Balotelli, and Gianluigi Buffon, are some of the best known in the field of the bets.