BREAKING NEWS: He’s bacccckkkk!!!

Naw, not LBJ. I’m talking about the great Pat Riley! ESPN’s Chris Broussard just broke the news (and ESPN’s Shelly Smith confirmed) that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are teaming up together in Miami. Both players are to officially announce their decision later today.

The MJ Effect

Before I start this article, let me say that Michael Jordan is my favorite professional athlete of all time. Growing up watching him in the 1990s was a privilege. Check out this video if you don’t remember what Bulls’ games were like. I remember the first time I got to see him play in person against the Bullets during the NBA Playoffs at the U.S. Airways Arena out in Landover, Maryland. It was a thrill I’ll never forget. He is the ultimate competitor and this trait permeates through every part of his life. His competitiveness on the court has led to some pretty insane stories about his habits off the court. This article will focus on one of those. Gambling.

Michael Jordan’s current net worth is estimated at around $500 million and he just became a majority owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats. MJ worked very hard for his money during his 15 years in the NBA. MJ was also able to do something that a lot of athletes are unable to do in this 24/7 news cycle world that we find ourselves in. Michael Jordan was able to amass this wealth without pretending to be a saint off of the court. There has been a lot of speculation behind his “retirement” after the Bulls’ 1992 championship run.  He went through a much publicized divorce which led to a transfer of assets to his wife worth more than $150 million.  While things seemed to go smoothly the stakes of this divorce must have led to some incredible encounters behind the scenes.

Throughout the years, gambling has been MJ’s most publicized vice. It must be pretty hard to stay away from the craps table when you think your earnings potential is unlimited. Why not take $10 million to Vegas when you know you’ll make that back in a couple months. I’ve never been in that position but I like to think I would put my $10 million to work and have fun with the interest that it earned. MJ takes that $10 million and heads to Vegas, the airport or local golf course to bet it on whatever he can and dozens of people have been chewed up and spit out by his behavior. This ladies and gentlemen is the MJ Effect. More after the jump…