“That’s how we tip in Las Vegas, Michael” - When Wayne Gretzky embarrassed NBA legend in Las Vegas

By Srihari Anand

Modified Jan 25, 2023 06:18 GMT

In 2010, Rich Strafella, former Vice President of the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, recalled his best celebrity story, which involved Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky gambling together

In a conversation with Urban Daddy, Strafella explained how a waitress brought Jordan and Gretzky their drinks, with the NBA great giving her a $5 tip. Wayne took it off her tray and replaced it with a $100 chip from Jordan's stack and told him that's the proper way to tip someone in Vegas.

Strafella said:

"I remember a night when Wayne Gretzky insulted Michael Jordan at the table. It was a private salon game. Michael had ordered a drink from the cocktail waitress and he gave her a $5 chip. Wayne took it off the cocktail waitress's tray, gave it back to Michael, grabbed a $100 chip from Michael's stack and put it on the cocktail waitress's tray. Then he said, 'That's how we tip in Las Vegas, Michael.'"

Although there have been no reports of Jordan's reaction to Wayne Gretzky's actions, chances are it was nothing but funny banter between the two.

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Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan are legends of their respective sports

Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky are both considered the greatest players of all time in their respective sports.

Jordan is considered the greatest basketball player of all time. For the majority of his career, he played for the Chicago Bulls. During his time there, he was a six-time NBA champion, six-time Finals MVP, and a five-time MVP (regular season).

Jordan was also a two-time Olympic gold medal winner for the USA. For his dominance on the court, he was nicknamed "Air Jordan" and "His Airness," among others.

As of 2022, he has amassed a net worth of $1.7 billion and is the principal owner and chairman of the NBA team, Charlotte Hornets. He is also part owner of the MLB team, the Miami Marlins.

Jordan has also worked with major brands like Nike, Gatorade, and Coca-Cola to name a few.

Wayne Gretzky, meanwhile, is considered the greatest hockey player of all time. He started his career with the Edmonton Oilers and retired with the New York Rangers. During his illustrious career, Gretzky accumulated four Stanley Cups, nine Hart Trophies for being the MVP (eight of them in consecutive years), and 10 Art Ross trophies. He was thus rightly nicknamed “The Great One”.