‘You must be killing him’ – Michael Jordan teammate reveals NBA icon’s reaction to being down $800k at casino

Michael Jordan’s net worth is $3.5 billion.

So what’s $800,000 to one of the greatest basketball players of all-time?

Jordan came out of retirement to play for the Wizards for two seasonsCredit: GettyClearly not a whole lot, at least according to a former teammate of his.

Back in 2001, when Jordan had returned to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards, Brendan Haywood got a front row seat to the legend of Jordan.

Keep in mind Jordan had nowhere near the $3.5 billion empire back in the early 2000s that he has today. He was still embarrassingly rich, but $800k should have meant a little more to the six-time NBA champion than it clearly did in a story told by Haywood.

“I realized right away what type of money Michael Jordan had in the preseason of my rookie year,” Haywood told 670 The Score.

READ MORE NBA”Because we’re playing a preseason game, I think we’re in Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Casino, and I’m over there talking to Mike.

“As I’m walking through the casino, I see Mike and Patrick Ewing—who was one of our assistant coaches. So Pat’s down like 40 grand.

“He’s over there sweating, he’s nervous, and he’s not having a good time. And I see Mike over there laughing and joking and smoking his cigar.

“And I said, ‘Man, M, man, you must be killing him. I mean, how many you up?’ He said, ‘Up? Man, I’m down about 800,000.’ And I was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ And he just didn’t even—he was just laughing and joking, didn’t even care.

“He ended up staying up playing all night long, hitting the casino for like $200,000, and came on the team bus with it in his hands.

“So that’s when I knew how much money he really had—the difference between big bank take little bank.”

Jordan had a reputation of gambling very oftenCredit: Getty

Jordan (L) and Haywood (R) were teammates for two seasons in D.C.Haywood saw Jordan’s gambling hobby up close and personal and even while being down $800k, he didn’t seem to blink.

To this day, it is no secret that Jordan loves to gamble, smoke a cigar and play golf. He did so during the peak of his career, and he absolutely does it in retirement.

It must have been a sight to behold to the star-struck rookie, who had yet to even play an official NBA regular season game.

Jordan and Haywood would be teammates for Jordan’s last two years in the league, before he officially retired for the third time in his basketball career. But this would be his last.

In total, Jordan played for 15 seasons, winning six championships, six Finals MVPs, five regular season MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, and was a 14-time All-Star, while making the All-NBA Team 11 times.

He and LeBron James are considered two of the greatest basketball players of all time and are universally seen as interchangeable at the top spot.

NBA’s Greatest

You can’t go wrong with either player at the top spot.

However, when it comes to people you would want to go to the casino with, Jordan is the clear favorite.

How many people can dig out of a $800,000 hole, and turn it around for a $200,000 profit.

Jordan can. Jordan did.