Michael Jordan is easily one of the greatest NBA players of all time and depending on what generation you ask, they will tell you he is the undisputed GOAT. After winning three championships from the 1991 to 1993, Jordan decided to retire from the NBA to pursue a career in baseball. At the time, many speculated that Jordan was secretly being punished for gambling. In "The Last Dance," NBA commissioner David Stern made sure to explain that this was not the case.
However, Jordan was also being accused of something more sinister. After his father was murdered in 1993, people began to speculate that his gambling was the reason why his dad was killed. Realistically, his father was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and was the victim of a robbery. In "The Last Dance," Jordan explained how all of the speculations made him feel.
Father's Murder">Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
“It did hurt, but you had people who were throwing darts that wanted to hurt me anyway,” Jordan said. “It wasn’t from the people I love or the people that knew me or the people that cared. It was the people that got tired of me being on top.”
Thankfully, we can finally put these rumors to bed. If you look at the evidence, there is none to support that Jordan had anything to do with the death of his father. They had an incredibly tight relationship and his gambling was never that big of an issue, to begin with.