Did Michael Jordan suffer from gambling addiction?

The scandal surrounding the NBA legend erupted during his first triple-double. At a time when Michael Jordan was one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, the situation was highly unpleasant. It could hurt not only the basketball player but also the league leaders. At that time, the NBA was already well aware that the league's well-being was directly dependent on the presence of superstars.

Because of the fierce competition between Boston's top players and the Lakers, the game reached a whole new level of popularity. David Stern, who was well aware of how lucky they were to get Michael Jordan, was not going to lose the league's influence because of the scandal. 

Any serious scandal involving Michael would have affected the league itself. Jordan's competitive nature was no secret, but no one knew that it extended to money-related games. 

The whole story began with the news in the newspapers reporting on the murder of banker Eddie Dow. However, the main thing was not even that he was killed in his own house, but that there were found checks signed by Michael Jordan for a significant amount—more than a hundred thousand dollars. Later, it was found that these checks were intended to pay off the basketball player's gambling debts.

Michael was criticized by a barrage of literally all media corporations. Under such pressure, the NBA had to launch an investigation against him, during which it was discovered that he was indeed a gambling addict. However, the league dropped the investigation, and Stern stated that they had no right to charge Jordan with anything. Eventually, everyone calmed down.

But Jordan didn't stop playing—he showed up at the casino hours before the games. Then, people started appearing who claimed that Jordan owed them money. Articles criticizing the basketball player began to appear again. In parallel, rumors began to spread around the person of the basketball player. Many claimed that the NBA star even managed to bet online right in the waiting room. And according to other rumors, Jordan likes to play JetX for real money. 

In 1993, Jordan ended his NBA career—mostly due to the death of his father, but still, the pressure of the gambling story also influenced his decision. 

Now, the whole story is treated as a testament to history and is seen in the context of the era. Of course, nowadays, gambling, especially among sportsmen, is treated more strictly, but back then, times were quite different, and for business purposes, they turned a blind eye to many things. And society forgave their idols a lot.