Michael Jordan has undeniably become the face of the NBA. Despite retiring twenty years ago, his impact on basketball is still felt. It is unsurprising that with the amount of fame and recognition he received, controversies also followed him. There are numerous surrounding the legend, however, the most prominent one was the connection of his gambling debts to his father, James Jordan’s death.
The love that Michael had for gambling was no secret. Even though he refused to address his addiction, it started affecting his family as well. Notably, his ex-wife Juanita Vanoy had to step in to clear off his gambling dues. His Airness who was known for his determination and hard work on the court, had gambling as his cool-off activity.
25 years after James Jordan’s death, convicted killer files for retrial with new evidence…(GuyCityMedia🎥🎬📸) pic.twitter.com/ckUaoYlNiE
— Flamboyant Lifestyle (@alfredflambo1) July 20, 2018
There have been instances where the media protected Michael’s image in the public such as when his first child was born out of wedlock. However, the journalists did not hold back from flashing his name when it came to gambling. Everywhere the headlines read about MJ and his favorite activity.
It was fine until it was restricted to a certain limit. However, when Michael at the age of 30 lost his father, instead of support, there were speculations. People did not even take a second to blame Michael’s gambling debts as the reason for his father’s death. James was killed when he was sleeping in his car, and people were quick to reach the conclusion.
Michael Jordan felt hurt by people’s comments over his father’s death
James Jordan who won Michael’s mother Deloris Jordan’s heart with a single line was killed in July 1993. He was in Wilmington to pay a visit at the funeral of an old co-worker and drove to Charlotte at midnight. James was supposed to fly to Chicago the next day, and he decided to take a rest in his parked car.
He was killed by two men who were identified as Daniel Green and Larry Demery in likely an attempt to steal his car. Investigations were done, and Michael mentioned “We tried to backtrack what his actions were” in his documentary ‘The Last Dance‘. MJ discussed that his father left on a specific day and instead of driving, he decided to take a nap. Furthermore, he stated, “Next thing you know, things happened the way they happened”.
Undoubtedly, Michael Jordan was upset that people suspected that the two men who killed his father were people to whom he owed gambling money. While speaking of this dark controversy, he expressed how he felt hurt. In his own words, “It did hurt”. Furthermore, he sheds light on how he has been on the receiving end of this hatred that hurt him anyway.
Michael said, “But you had people that were throwing darts that hurt me anyway. It wasn’t from the people that I loved, or the people that knew me, or the people that cared. It was because of the people that got tired of me being on top”. He acknowledged the fact that with the success he has received, he is bound to be dragged into such dark controversies.