Michael Jordan is one of the most confident athletes to ever play in the NBA. If Jordan put his mind to something, he would make sure that he would see it through. Jordan was also a betting man and loved to back himself in any and every situation. And one former Chicago Blackhawks player learned about Jordan's ferocity in a round of golf.
In an interview from a few years ago, former Chicago Blackhawks player Jeremy Roenick shared a story from 1992, when he and Michael Jordan played a round of golf. Roenick and Jordan were gambling over their games, and Roenick actually won a lot of Michael Jordan's money.
The two spent the afternoon playing golf and drinking beer. In an effort to recover some of the money he had lost, Jordan tried to make a bet with Roenick. He told Roenick that in his game that night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he would score more than 40 points and the Chicago Bulls would win by a margin of more than 20 points (0:36 mark).
“We played a round, I beat him for a couple thousand and got ready to leave. Now, the Bulls are playing that night. They played Cleveland that night. I’m thinking he’s leaving, it’s 10 o’clock. He goes, ‘No, let’s go play again.’”
“So we go and fill up a bag full of ice and Coors Light and walk again. We roll around another 18 and I take him for another couple [thousand dollars]. Now we’ve been drinking all afternoon and he’s going from Sunset Ridge to the stadium, to play a game. I’m messing around. I’m like, “I’m gonna call my bookie. All the money you just lost to me, I’m putting on Cleveland.’”
“He goes, ‘I’ll tell you what. I’ll bet you that we’ll win by 20 points and I have more than 40 [points].’ I’m like, ‘Done.’ Son of a gun goes out and scores 52 and they win by 26 points or something.”
Roenick took that bet and found out just how good Jordan was. Roenick revealed that Jordan scored 52 points and the Bulls won by 26 points. Roenick's memory got the better of him, as Jordan had actually scored 44 points, and the Bulls beat the Cavaliers by 24 points.
Jordan put up 44 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Jordan made 21/31 shots, shooting 65.6%, and made both of the free throws he attempted. MJ was also a force on the defensive end of the court, as he had 3 steals that shut down the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Clearly, Jordan was a betting man, and the NHL veteran Roenick learned his lesson; never provoke Jordan. During his final stint in Washington, after a poor game, the media questioned whether Jordan was done playing at the highest level. The very next game, MJ dropped 51 points. Whenever questioned, Jordan would show why he was never to be questioned.
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