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Longtime NBA Columnist Once Scolded Media During Michael Jordan Gambling Saga

Shandel Richardson

Phil Jackson entered the 1997-98 season knowing it would be his last with the Bulls. Michael Jordan insisted he wouldn't play for any other coach. 2020-04-19 Michael Phil
Phil Jackson entered the 1997-98 season knowing it would be his last with the Bulls. Michael Jordan insisted he wouldn't play for any other coach. 2020-04-19 Michael Phil / Anne Ryan, USA TODAY, USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC
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Longtime NBA columnist Peter Vecsey never feared going after any player during the 1980s and 1990s.

In 1993, he had every chance to pile on Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan when another gambling story surfaced during the Eastern Conference finals. Instead, he chose to go after the media coverage.

NBC host Bob Costas interviewed Richard Esquinas about his high-stakes gambling activity with Jordan. Costas later grilled commissioner David Stern during the NBA Finals about the issue.

"I think it was an embarrassment to the media to NBC especially," Vecsey told Costas during an NBC broadcast. "Personally Bob, I would have gone on with a story like that. I think we were really soft on him. I think we were irresponsible. I think the guy's motives were clear. He's a publicity-seeker. He's looking to make financial gain and we gave a story of no importance, importance and credibility."

The video below suggests Vecsey was speaking about Jordan but he was referring to Esquinas.

By the time the interview aired, Jordan's love for gambling was well-known. Vecsey felt there was no need to rehash it, especially giving Esquinas a national platform.

"It was a story the first time," Vecsey said. "Now, everybody knows that Michael Jordan gambles. He gambles big because he makes big money. That's the story. There's no story any more. The league doesn't have any policy on him betting on the golf links. As we know, golf is famous for betting on the links. He's just another that's got more money to bet out there."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com