Antoine Walker Said MJ Postponed His Press Conference To Return To The NBA Because They Were Playing Spades For 36 Hours Straight And Down $900k
[CBS] - "When Mike calls, the buy-in goes up a little higher. It's going to be a number that everybody has to bring to the table. I'd say $20,000 just to get in. If you don't have $20,000 to get in, you can't even play. Mike was competitive. I remember one time we played spades for 36 hours. We were playing against two other guys and Mike and I were partners. They had us behind $900,000."
On top of that, Walker shared that this took place right around the time that Jordan was set to announce that he was returning to the Chicago Bulls after a brief minor league baseball stint. Walker claimed that Jordan ended up postponing the scheduled press conference for his NBA return because they were playing spades.
I was reading and listening to this and just nodding along. If you told me Antoine Walker and Michael Jordan played spades for 63 hours straight I'd believe you. Two absolute degenerates, the most competitive person in the history of the world. Yeah, it checks out. I buy this story 100 out of 100 times. Also the fact that Antoine Walker, who I always loved, ended up on the 30-for-30 aptly named 'Broke'. I can understand it now. You hang out with MJ and gamble with MJ, it's probably a good shot you end up that way no matter how much money you have.
I'm a sucker for an MJ gambling story. I say that as a gambler. The basketball stuff? He ruined my life and the Knicks so I'm good talking about that. Give me the gambling stuff. I want to hear all the degenerate stories that led the conspiracy theory that he was suspended from the NBA for gambling and that's why he played baseball. Things that make him say this line:
Back to this spades story. I LOVE how MJ's move to get money was send his nephew to the golf bag to grab $500,000. Let me say that again. Michael Jordan kept FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS CASH in his golf bag. Just an outrageous thing to hear, even with it being MJ.
"I was leaving for Boston in a couple of days so I had about $100,000 cash. I was always a cash person. MJ had about $200,000 on him, but he sent for $500,000. The other guys we played against had money too. They had us down $900,000 and we got back all the money except for $20,000. Mike did not want to see them win $20,000. They ended up winning $180,000 because he got too tired. He was falling asleep at the table."
When Jordan needed the extra $500,000, he actually sent his nephew to retrieve the money out of his golf bag and bring it to him. Walker said that Jordan instructed his nephew not to let Jordan's wife see him getting the cash.
I'm actually shocked MJ said don't let his wife see him getting the cash. What's she going to do? Tell him to stop. He's Michael fucking Jordan. He's bringing in millions upon millions of dollars. 500k is nothing for him. What I really want to know though is who were the other two guys? Gotta know how they were tied to MJ and how they ended up outlasting MJ for 36 hours of spades. You either gotta be just the biggest degenerate of all time to do that or you're an athlete. Only two ways that you last here.
And if it's true that this is the reason why MJ postponed his press conference to return to the NBA? Somehow his legend just grew. I'd love to be in the room when David Stern got that call.