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There aren’t many athletes who’d turn down the chance to get some advice from Michael Jordan before one of the biggest games of their career. Julian Edelman was able to do exactly that before competing in a Super Bowl, although it’s hard to imagine the message he was sent really gave him an edge.
Michael Jordan is obviously one of the best basketball players of all time, but you can’t talk about his career without discussing the many legendary stories involving his love of gambling.
While many of those tales involve staggering sums of money getting thrown around on the golf course, His Airness has also placed plenty of wagers on games he had nothing to do with—which apparently included Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
Julian Edelman recently sat down with Bert Kreischer to reflect on an encounter he had with Jordan (and Derek Jeter) in the week leading up to that contest, which probably didn’t pan out exactly how he envisioned.
The Deceptively Athletic wide receiver said MJ didn’t welcome him with open arms when he approached him at a restaurant, but he did send him a message before the two of them went their separate ways:
“I took my folks to dinner and I roll up and I see Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan. I’m super starstruck. I’m about to play in the Super Bowl.
I go up. You could tell Jeter is a very charming guy. I go, ‘Mr. Jeter, Jordan. I’m playing in the Super Bowl.’ I felt weird introducing myself, but I wanted to meet him. I saw Jordan. He was a little stand-offish, and I started talking with Jeter and everything’s good.
As soon as the conversation’s about to end, five minutes in, I’m about to leave. Jordan comes up to me and he goes, ‘Hey kid, I got a bunch of money on you. Don’t f— it up.’ And that’s the only thing he said to me.”
Edelman did what he could to contribute to the cause in a game where he racked up 109 yards on nine receptions while scoring a touchdown, and when everything was said and done, he and the Patriots made Jordan happy with the help of the Malcolm Butler interception that sealed their 28-24 victory.