Basketball fans fear for the health of NBA legend Michael Jordan after a photo of him in Monaco quickly went viral.
On Thursday, the six-time NBA champion was at the Stade Louis-II with his wife Yvette Prieto to watch Monaco defeat Barcelona in the Champions League.
Bleacher Report acknowledged his presence and posted a photo of Jordan at the game, but the comments section highlighted the former Chicago Bulls star’s disturbingly yellow eyes.
“Why the hell is MJ here with JAUNDICE? Her eyes look like a vampire in Brooklyn,” one fan wrote.
“Are we surprised? Bro drinks like a fish,” added a second, while a third wrote: “His liver: do you know you have 30 minutes left?”
Michael Jordan sparks concern with disturbing photo at Stade Louis-II in Monaco
While some expressed their concerns in a comedic manner, other fans were more serious about Jordan’s harmful lifestyle.
“Man gave all the girls money, fame and achievements you could ever want, but still headed for an early death. Sucks,” one fan said.
“As someone who grew up in a family filled with alcoholism and drug abuse, and someone who idolized this man, I know what those eyes mean,” wrote another. “This makes me sad, man.”
This isn’t the first time Jordan’s eyes have caused concern. Fans initially shared their theories following the release of the hugely popular docuseries The Last Dance.
Jordan was interviewed for the Netflix series and frequently appeared with a yellow cast to his eyes, with fans claiming he was suffering from jaundice, or perhaps something more serious.
Jaundice is often caused by excessive alcohol consumption and causes the skin and eyes to turn yellow.
Fans expressed their concerns about Jordan’s drinking habits in the Bleacher Report comments section
Other photos of Jordan showed him drinking a glass of wine while watching the soccer game
Jordan was spotted enjoying the game with his wife Yvette Prieto (second from left) on Thursday
Jordan’s eyes were similar during the 2020 Netflix documentary The Last Dance
After the release of The Last Dance, Dr. Val Phua, an ophthalmologist, told VICE: “Yellow eyes should not be ignored because they are a sign that there is more going on. There is literally more than meets the eye.
If eye conditions are left untreated, they can lead to vision loss and even blindness.
‘His eyes are slightly discolored, which could indicate jaundice, but there also appears to be a slightly raised lesion on the eye, which could indicate a localized discoloration, such as a pinguecula.’
Jordan doesn’t often comment on his love of alcohol and smoking, but he once revealed, “I often dream that I’m a bad alcoholic and I can’t stop drinking and making a fool of myself. And I’m going to lose everything. I wake up from that dream, covered in sweat.”
He also spoke about the drinking and drug culture that surrounded him when he played in the NBA.
During The Last Dance, he revealed, “I had one event, preseason, I think we were in Peoria. It was at a hotel, so I’m trying to find my teammates. So I start knocking on doors. I get to this one door, and I knock on the door, and I hear someone say, ‘Shhh, there’s someone outside.’ And then you hear this deep voice, someone says, ‘Who’s there?’ I said, ‘MJ.'”
Jordan opted for a black T-shirt, matching Air Jordan cap and khaki pants during the game
Jordan is pictured with his wife Yvette at the five-year anniversary of his tequila brand Cincoro
Jordan has been known for his cigar smoking and alcohol consumption for years
Jordan sprays champagne on teammate Dennis Rodman after winning NBA title
A man holds his camera on Jordan during a FaceTime call during the game on Thursday night
“… So they open the door. I walk in and practically the whole team was there. And it was like, things I’d never seen in my life as a young kid. You got your lines [of cocaine] Here you have your weed smokers, here you have your women.
‘So the first thing I said was, “Look man, I’m leaving.” Because all I could think about was if they came here and robbed this place, I’d be just as guilty as anybody else in this room. And from that point on, I was pretty much on my own.’
This week’s disturbing photo from Monaco follows stories about Jordan’s drinking habits that have emerged in recent years.
In Roland Lazenby’s book ‘Michael Jordan: The Life’, the author describes how the six-time NBA Finals MVP drank beer and began insulting Jerry Krause on the team bus.
In “Blood on the Horns,” Lazenby recounted how Jordan and his Chicago teammates knocked back five beers and lit up cigars in the first hour of the game.
In a recent appearance on The Dan LeBatard Show, Jordan’s former running mate Scottie Pippen admitted to occasionally having a beer with him in the locker room.
“I had a few drinks during the exhibition season,” the legendary forward said. “You know, Michael and I, we tested the waters a few times when we had some exhibition matches.
Scottie Pippen admitted he and Jordan used to drink beer before practice games
Jordan is known for his love of beer and cigars during his NBA career in which he won six titles
“We knew we weren’t going to play a lot of minutes, so we might have a beer or two in the locker room before we go out on the field,” Pippen added.
Pippen added that they only drank during low-stakes games, when less was being played.
In 2019, Jordan launched Cincoro, a tequila brand, along with four other NBA owners.
Jordan’s foray into the beverage industry with Emilia Fazzalari and Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics, Jeanie Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers and Wes Edens of the Milwaukee Bucks.
