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Michael & Me: Our Gambling Addiction... My Cry for Help
Shares the author's experiences of excessive gambling with Michael Jordan, and tells how he overcame his addiction
209 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1993
48 people want to read
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August 5, 2020
I remembered how much of an issue this book became in 1993 and it certainly diminished Michael Jordan's clean-cut image. The only parts of the book ever mentioned were the gigantic gambling debt. Also, the cover was shown many times on various sports broadcasts and ESPN. Richard Esquinas then disappeared and Jordan went on to play baseball and basketball again.
Twenty years after the fact, when the world has made peace with Michael Jordan's gambling and his status as THE sport's star of several generations, did I sit down and actually read this book. Michael Jordan is a competitive gambler, sure. But, what reasons would we have to believe Richard Esquinas? Shouldn't it be a good rule of thumb to be suspicious of non-fiction book titles that employ exclamation points in their title? Outside of his family, who really cares about Esquinas’s own gambling addiction?
The beginning of this book is an autobiography of Esquinas. Autobiographies, from my experience, are rarely any good. And this book is hardly any different. The autobiography section is weirdly written. For example, Esquinas compares his dark brown couch to Michael Jordan's skin color and remarks how his gambling winnings won from Michael Jordan paid for this luxurious couch. Icky. We all obviously bought this book because Esquinas is tattling on the world's most popular athlete. However, most of the book is about Esquinas and how awesome of a golfer he is and how he runs the San Diego Sports Arena and who he has hobnobbed with there (by the way, Esquinas seems to hate most black rap groups, but LOVED Sinatra). We get it Dude, you're successful. The cover and the title were a bait and switch. Here we thought this would be an interesting story about how Michael Jordan’s gambling addiction caused harm to not only MJ, but other people. Nope. Let’s hope the reader enjoys long passages about San Diego real estate history and maneuvering.
Of course, no one ever mentions these parts when the story was reported. However, the context of Richard Esquinas's biography as written by him says a lot. I don't know if I really believe his story about the million dollar bet. I do believe that MJ gambles. But, I believe this book was mostly a work of self-aggrandizement and promotion. Esquinas claimed to have "receipts" of the wagers, but those never came to light.
I recently reached out to Richard Esquinas, or at least to the person I believe to be him, to get some clarification about certain parts of the story. He never responded. But even if I did would anyone even care other than me? Well, rest assured, if he ever responds you’ll be the first to know.
Twenty years after the fact, when the world has made peace with Michael Jordan's gambling and his status as THE sport's star of several generations, did I sit down and actually read this book. Michael Jordan is a competitive gambler, sure. But, what reasons would we have to believe Richard Esquinas? Shouldn't it be a good rule of thumb to be suspicious of non-fiction book titles that employ exclamation points in their title? Outside of his family, who really cares about Esquinas’s own gambling addiction?
The beginning of this book is an autobiography of Esquinas. Autobiographies, from my experience, are rarely any good. And this book is hardly any different. The autobiography section is weirdly written. For example, Esquinas compares his dark brown couch to Michael Jordan's skin color and remarks how his gambling winnings won from Michael Jordan paid for this luxurious couch. Icky. We all obviously bought this book because Esquinas is tattling on the world's most popular athlete. However, most of the book is about Esquinas and how awesome of a golfer he is and how he runs the San Diego Sports Arena and who he has hobnobbed with there (by the way, Esquinas seems to hate most black rap groups, but LOVED Sinatra). We get it Dude, you're successful. The cover and the title were a bait and switch. Here we thought this would be an interesting story about how Michael Jordan’s gambling addiction caused harm to not only MJ, but other people. Nope. Let’s hope the reader enjoys long passages about San Diego real estate history and maneuvering.
Of course, no one ever mentions these parts when the story was reported. However, the context of Richard Esquinas's biography as written by him says a lot. I don't know if I really believe his story about the million dollar bet. I do believe that MJ gambles. But, I believe this book was mostly a work of self-aggrandizement and promotion. Esquinas claimed to have "receipts" of the wagers, but those never came to light.
I recently reached out to Richard Esquinas, or at least to the person I believe to be him, to get some clarification about certain parts of the story. He never responded. But even if I did would anyone even care other than me? Well, rest assured, if he ever responds you’ll be the first to know.
Displaying 1 of 1 review