Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker revealed a jaw-dropping story about playing high-stakes Spades with Michael Jordan, where they nearly lost close to a million dollars. Speaking on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back, Walker detailed how an intense gambling session escalated into six-figure losses before an unexpected comeback.
Walker recalled that the game took place at a friend’s restaurant near a gym where they had been working out. What started as a casual card game quickly turned into a massive bet, with Walker and Jordan down $100,000 before the stakes doubled. “Then it got to $200,000. Then he called home. Then MJ called home and got half a million,” Walker said, via HoopsHype.
The game continued for 36 hours, with the two NBA stars at one point trailing by $900,000. “They were Spades sharks, I guess. They had us down,” Walker admitted. However, Jordan’s relentless competitive nature fueled their comeback.
Eventually, the duo managed to win most of their money back, cutting their losses to around $30,000. “Michael Jordan is such a competitor. He was like, ‘I don’t want to see them with that,’” Walker recalled.
Despite finishing with a loss between $160,000 and $180,000, Walker took pride in their near-miraculous rally. “You gotta think—we felt good about ourselves. We came back from $900,000,” he added.
