Marcus Reveals Michael Jordan 'Hilariously' Chose to Save $40,000 Instead of Jasmine Jordan After a Jet Ski Accident in Bahamas: "She Got a Life Vest"

Siddid Dey Purkayastha|Published August 29, 2023

Michael Jordan and Jasmine JordanCredit: Twitter (Multiple)

Marcus Jordan and Larsa Pippen love sharing insights into their daily lives and other stories that pique fans’ interest on their podcast. In the latest episode of their podcast titled ‘Spilling Family Secrets,’ Marcus revealed some niche and unknown facts about Michael Jordan and his bond with fellow siblings Jeffrey and Jasmine. One such fact about MJ is that the six-time NBA champion has to fight his demons when it comes to swimming. Narrating a hilarious incident about one family trip to the Bahamas, Marcus revealed how MJ chose to save his $40,000 cash from drowning over his daughter, Jasmine Jordan.

While on a jet-ski ride in the Bahamas, the watercraft capsized and tumbled into the water. Though Jasmine was afloat thanks to her life jacket, Jordan was trying to collect his horde of floating cash from the water. Jordan managed to retrieve his floating cash from the water but had a nightmare floating without a life jacket or any support.

While many may think Michael Jordan is talented in almost every athletic aspect, even he struggles when it comes to swimming. In the latest episode of Separation Anxiety, MJ’s youngest son, Marcus Jordan, revealed that his father doesn’t know how to swim. However, MJ can still survive if he is in a drowning situation.

Jordan worked his way up from humble beginnings in North Carolina to become one of the wealthiest athletes in the world. Therefore, every bit of cash that he earns is precious to him. During a family vacation in the Bahamas, Jordan faced an unfortunate accident with his jet-ski capsizing and tumbling into the water. And down with him was his daughter Jasmine and $40,000 cash, floating on the water. Jordan, being himself, chose to save the enormous chunk of cash floating. Thankfully, Jasmine survived this accident as she was wearing a life jacket. Describing this incident further, Marcus narrated:

“There was this one time we were on a yacht, on some trip. I think we were at Bahamas. And my dad, I think he was on a jetski with my sister. And for whatever reason and the jetski capsized and turned over. And, my sister is floating, she actually had a life-vest on. My dad’s on the water, he wasn’t wearing life vest. And all you see is this big wad of cash, like 40 grand, in a rubber band. It was floating. My dad’s in the water, my sister’s floating a couple feet away from him, and you see this wad of cash floating on the water. And, who do you think my dad went for first? My dad literally went for the 40 grand first. My dad said, ‘She’s got on her life-vest! But I gotta go grab this cash!'”

Well, MJ might have made a wise choice to save the money first as Jasmine was already secured with her life vest.

Though Michael Jordan is the perfect dad and a family man, there is nothing that can convince him to lose his money. Even if it’s a minuscule amount, Jordan would fight to save that money. While saving $40,000 does seem like a legitimate concern, MJ was once reluctant to pay $175 for losing a bet to a Chicago sports journalist.

Jordan’s ultra-competitive nature is well known among athletic circles and he would never admit to paying for losing a game of almost anything. While competing against Chicago journalist Lacy Banks in a ping-pong game, Jordan had bet $25 per match. Unfortunately, Banks defeated Jordan in seven games, which resulted in MJ owing the Sun-Times reporter $175.

This was somewhat unacceptable for Jordan. He convinced Banks to open a running tab of their bets on games and refused to pay up. Furthermore, Jordan’s determination to defeat Banks was evident from his efforts to learn the game better. He bought a ping-pong table and started practicing day and night to perfect his skills. Jordan’s ping-pong skills were on full display in the 1992 Dream Team camp, when he defeated Christian Laettner with a 21-4 scoreline.

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About the author

Siddid Dey Purkayastha

Siddid Dey Purkayastha is a NBA Writer for The Sports Rush. When it comes to sports, he describes himself as a 'fanatic', having the craze and passion for all sports alike. However, it was basketball that caught his attention, especially due to its fast-paced nature and the flashy 'slam dunks.' Siddid's first tryst with basketball started when he started playing NBA 2K series. And since then, he has been an avid follower of the league, often sacrificing his sleep during the Play-Off seasons. He loves the Lakers and considers LeBron James 'THE GOAT.' In his free time, he loves to listen to new music, scour through academic theory, or just sleep.