"Gamblers have a way of honing in on each other" - Michael Jordan once lost $1,252,000 in golfing bets to a 'yogi'

According to Mark Zeigler's The San Diego Union-Tribune article, Michael Jordan once lost a hefty amount of $1,252,000 on golf betting.

He lost it to Sports Arena GM Richard Esquinas, who happens to be a "yogi" (individual that teaches yoga). Esquinas revealed his interaction with the former NBA player in his book titled "Michael & Me: Our gambling addiction ... my cry for help!", which was released in 1993:

"Gamblers have a way of honing in on each other," Esquinas said. "I knew he was a player, and he knew I was a player. It's an instinctive thing."

He discussed his golfing duel with Jordan as a continuously growing wager at the time, moving from one site to the next.

As Michael Jordan loves the feeling of competition wherever he goes and in whatever sport he plays, Esquinas described their games as "out of control."

Despite Jordan winning a couple of rounds initially, things started to get interesting when Esquinas kept racking up wins and the golf bet money continued to rise. It started off with the former Chicago Bulls star owing him $93,000, which became $153,000 before it finally reached $1.252 million at the Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad.

The agreement between the two golf wagers landed at $300,000, which was to be paid in installments over three years. The agreement came from Jordan deciding to lower the tab to $902,000 as he was in the middle of the Dream Team's Training Camp at UC San Diego.

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Michael Jordan's gambling & betting habits got investigated by NBA in 1993

After Esquinas' self-published book was released, the NBA started an investigation into Michael Jordan's gambling habits in 1993. It was the league's first course of action on Jordan, who was their biggest star and happened to be involved in an often criticized act: gambling.

At the time, Jordan wanted to defend himself and the public's perception of him. Jordan said about the situation in an interview with ABC's Connie Chung, where he said that he owed nothing to Esquinas for 'dishonoring' him.

"I was in the process of finishing off all the payments," Jordan said, "but when he pulled this stunt — we never had a written agreement, I was more or less going off my honor — I felt he dishonored me, so I don't owe him any more honor. What's the balance? Zero in my book."

During the height of his career, the Chicago Bulls legend was often in the limelight, as he couldn't afford any slip-ups or public controversies to smear his name.

When the book got published, Michael Jordan felt as if his trust and privacy were betrayed as public criticism and questions started to pile on.

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern didn't punish the NBA star for the incident. He revealed that in ESPN's "The Last Dance" documentary as a situation that didn't need any further drastic measures.