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With the Michael Jordan documentary "Last Dance" topping Netflix's "Tiger King" as the most popular documentary, there has been quite a bit of talk in regard to the NBA basketball great's enthusiasm for gambling.
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The documentary finally shoots down (or attempts to at least) the conspiracy theory that Jordan's father was murdered by the mob to send a message to Jordan for his gambling debt.
It's been no secret that Michael Jordan has faced many demons in his personal life, with none more obvious and apparent than his gambling habit. In the early '90s, Jordan's personal life came under scrutiny when he was spotted in Atlantic City the night before an Eastern Conference finals game vs. the Knicks.
And there is that conspiracy that links Jordan's first retirement to his reported gambling problem.
Tinfoil-hat wearers believe that Jordan's first "retirement" was actually anything but. The conspiracy theory dictates that NBA commissioner David Stern actually had a clandestine agreement with Jordan to get his gambling habit under control before incurring any damage to the league or to Jordan himself. So, Stern suspended Jordan for a year while No. 23 got his personal life together, these theories contend.
Consider this: Jordan was becoming one of the most marketable and prominent professional athletes in history, so even though (most) of Jordan's gambling habits were legal, the image of Jordan having an outstanding gambling debt with a convicted drug dealer would be potentially harmful to Jordan and the league the night before an Eastern Conference finals game against the Knicks.
Still, Stern maintained on several occasions that Jordan's retirement was totally legitimate. Hard to believe that even a league as powerful as the NBA would be able to keep something like that a secret, all these years later, after all.
- Michael Jordan's Gambling 'Suspension': Explaining One of the Wildest Conspiracy Theories in NBA History
- Watch "Last Dance" Episodes
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“I think sports without spectators will reduce engagement,” said Jason Scott, trading director for BetMGM. “They’re used to going to games and you have people with (rising) unemployment and less money. You’re also dealing with people being cooped up in their houses for two months, and I don’t think initially they will be sitting on their couch like they were. I think it will be a gradual comeback in total turnover than when sports ended.”
“I feel people will be so excited to have sports back (to have any worries other than those who like to tailgate and attend games),” said Jamie Shea, head of Sports Digital for DraftKings. “That’s the new reality. People love sports betting in the U.S. and they want to see sports played no matter how they see it. Yes, it won’t be as much fun not going to the stadium, but people have giant TVs at home.”
Keith O’Laughlin, a senior vice president of sportsbook for SG Digital, said he expects a strong return of sports betting and that bettors will gravitate to it no matter how it looks. “Whether you’re betting with your heart on your team, you’ll be excited to do it, and it will be back close to prior levels in two to three days,” he said.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
