Jawad Williams Shares His Bet With Michael Jordan
Part six of 'The Last Dance' documentary featured what most consider a flaw, Michael Jordan's gambling. His gambling never got him in any trouble, never caused any issues on the court, yet his association with the hobby caused his reputation to plummet and lose the trust of those who admired him.
Jordan spoke of his gambling in part six calling it "something I do for fun," and former NBA Commissioner David Stern said,
"What we think of as large amounts of money is nothing to Jordan."
Jordan's gambling stories have gone as far back as high school, a conspiracy theory surrounding his departure in 1993, and a vetting process with Stern at the helm for Jordan to become the majority leader of the Hornets. Safe to say, this is something that's been a concern for many other Jordan. He continues to proclaim his freedom of any gambling addiction.
Understandably, betting comes with negative and preconceived thoughts, but sometimes they can be harmless and a bonding experience. Former Tar Heel and professional basketball player, Jawad Williams has been sharing a photo of him and Jordan with a $20 bill in the frame. Williams hints at the story in his caption but hasn't fully explained to fans what that story entails. On his recent appearance of "The Player and The Fan," Williams gives the history surrounding the bet with Jordan and what he did with half the money.
"Real quick, Dave was there and other Heels was there, so I can't go too much into specifics. You know how people are, they're weary nowadays.
Yeah, so it was... We were talking about half-court shots, and we were betting about half-court shots. Mike said, "I've got $40 in my pocket." I was like, "All right, cool." We made a bet, I hit the shot, and as he's walking out, he took the money out of his pocket, and threw it on the floor, and walked off. Then, Dave was like "Jawad." They called me over there as he was walking out of the tunnel, like "Take a picture with Jordan." I was like, "All right, cool.
He's like, "Damn, you're going to take my money, and you want to take a picture?" He's joking, though. He's like, "You're going to take my money, and you want to take a picture? Come on, man." I took a picture with him, but he was cool. That was like the second or third time I had met him, yeah. That was my cool end of day story, and I kept one of the $20s. The other one, I had to eat, so I kept one."
The story shows a unique experience between two Heels, an experience most would kill to have. Carolina family is showcased in this story and how the program relies on former players to create lasting and memorable experiences for their younger players. In the story, Williams states that this wasn't the first time he's met Jordan; it was actually around the fourth time. If you ever questioned how often Jordan is at Carolina, it seems like it's just been answered.
To hear the full Jawad Williams interview, please listen here:
If you would like to read more, please check out ActionNetwork.com's recent article by Matt Moore concerning Jordan's gambling.
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