Michael Jordan SCAMMED Scottie Pippen out of thousands of dollars by forcing teammate to bet on races he knew results of

Michael Jordan's crafty Jumbotron race bets, showcasing his love for gambling and competitive spirit beyond the basketball court.

Michael Jordan SCAMMED Scottie Pippen out of thousands of dollars by forcing teammate to bet on races he knew results of

Jordan and Scottie Pippen; getty images

Beyond the basketball court, Michael Jordan‘s competitive nature permeated many facets of his life, chief among them his passion for gambling. Legends around his well-documented penchant for large stakes betting. Jordan’s gambling activities were as well-known as his basketball skills, ranging from friendly bets with teammates to late-night casino shenanigans.

One of the funnier and less well-known gambling stories about Jordan has to do with the Chicago Bulls‘ Jumbotron races, a well-liked diversion during Bulls games. Like at a real athletic event, spectators cheered for their favourite colour as animated bulls competed in the Jumbotron races. Ever the shrewd gambler, Jordan found out a fascinating oddity about these races. He discovered that the Jumbotron race results were predetermined and prepared before the games. Equipped with this insider information, he devised a scheme to deceive his close buddy and teammate, Scottie Pippen.

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Jordan would go over to the Bulls operations crew before every game to find out which colour bull was destined to win that particular race. Armed with this knowledge, he would then put Pippen up for a bet, usually a hundred dollars on his ability to choose the winning bull. Without knowing about Jordan’s secret knowledge, Pippen would confidently accept the wager.

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During a stoppage, Jordan would use his exclusive knowledge of the winner to accurately identify the winning bull when the Jumbotron race took place. At every home game, Pippen lost a hundred dollars to Jordan, but he thought it was a fair bet. It’s been said that Jordan carried out this little ruse for almost the whole season.

Michael Jordan’s sneaky bets: The curious case of Jumbotron Racing wins over Scottie Pippen

It’s strange to imagine that Pippen, one of the most trusted and closest comrades of Jordan, was unaware that Jordan was unfairly winning these bets. Maybe Pippen was just being funny, making fun of Jordan, or maybe he wasn’t too worried about dropping a few hundred bucks to his all-star player.

Scottie Pippen Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan; Source: Pinterest

Jordan loves to compete, even in the tiniest of settings, as seen by the tale of these Jumbotron racing bets. Even while his gambling habits have generated both curiosity and controversy, they are an indisputable aspect of his renowned reputation.

It’s evidence of his unwavering will to succeed, whether in games of chance or on the basketball court—and it’s all in good humour when you’re a six-time NBA champion.

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