NBA legend Michael Jordan is well-known for his love of playing, together with loads of motion on the poker desk throughout his time with the Chicago Bulls. Apparently, that love of card taking part in even led to high-stakes video games in the course of the playoffs.
Former New York Knicks participant and ESPN commentator Mark Jackson lately detailed a narrative on fellow NBA alum Gilbert Arenas’ podcast about hitting the poker desk earlier than a key matchup towards the Bulls.
“I was benched,” he stated. “We’re playing the Bulls, so I get a call the night before.”
“‘You want to play some cards and hang out whatever, just chill?’ I go into the city, go to Mike’s room, play cards. I’m not playing [in the game]. I know I’m benched, so, I’m playing cards. I’m doing my job. I’m going to keep them up all night.”
Jackson recalled that the sport lasted many of the night time and his meant mission had the reverse impact. He even wanted a nap the subsequent morning on the area, exhausted from marathon poker session. While the motion might have affected Jackson, Jordan appeared unphased.
“This dude got 50!” Jackson stated. “How is this dude still surviving?’ But he did it to everybody and every single night.”
Last 12 months, 17-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth detailed his personal missed alternative to play towards Jordan. On the NESN Chicken Dinner Podcast, Hellmuth described assembly the six-time NBA champion and five-time league MVP a number of instances, certainly one of which included a poker problem. Hellmuth needed to decline the provide on that event.
“He challenged me once and I didn’t have a lot of money in town,” Hellmuth stated. “I used to be silly. I ought to have simply referred to as my buddies and stated, ‘Hey, (send me some money).’ And (Jordan) would have needed to play till seven within the morning.”
Six-time bracelet winner Josh Arieh did get an opportunity to play Jordan, however didn’t benefit from the expertise, as he recalled on Card Player’s Poker Stories podcast again in 2021.
“I grew up with Jordan being the end-all, the GOAT,” Arieh defined. “A friend of mine called me and asked if I wanted to play golf with Jordan with some poker afterwards… and it was a miserable experience. There were probably 15 carts of people following us around. He was just this big, over-the-top alpha male.”
“But then we played poker, and that was more my element so I thought it was going to be different. But it wasn’t. The stupid jokes just kept on coming. Every time he said anything, even if it wasn’t remotely funny, the whole place would erupt into laughter. I didn’t enjoy it a bit.”
The late Layne Flack, additionally a six-time bracelet winner, informed the podcast that he was as soon as recruited by the Chicago mafia to play in Jordan’s recreation, besides he was banned earlier than he may play within the recreation after being outed as a poker professional by David Letterman on nationwide TV.
