Nelly Reveals He Lost So Much Money to Michael Jordan That He Had to Ask Ashanti for Help
· Vice
Anyone who lived through the 90s knows Michael Jordan doesn’t like to lose. He’s one of the most competitive athletes of all time, not only on the basketball court, where he’s often considered the best to ever play the game. In 2020, we truly got a sense of MJ’s competitive nature off the court as well, in the documentary miniseries The Last Dance. Michael Jordan liked to gamble, and he absolutely hated when he lost. To add to what we already know, Nelly has revealed that he once lost a substantial amount of money to the legendary basketball star.
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In 2004, Nelly became a minority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, under majority owner Robert L. Johnson. He purchased his stake in 2044, ahead of the team’s debut season. In 2010, Michael Jordan bought out the other minority owners, but kept Nelly because the basketball star thought the rapper was “funny.”
In a recent interview on the podcast 7 pm In Brooklyn With Carmelo Anthony, Nelly discussed how he lost money to Michael Jordan. In the episode, released on October 30, 2026, Nelly talked about a time he played Spades against Jordan. He recalled, “It was the same way as hoopin’, just don’t wake his a** up. You know what I’m saying? It was me and my little brother, and him and Oakley. I think we were winning the first couple of games, and we got to talkin’ sh*t.” Nelly quickly added, “And he did it in front of my woman; my woman was there. That’s what made it work; that’s why I started talkin’ sh*t.”
He’s referring to R&B singer Ashanti, whom Nelly was famously dating at the time. Though the couple split up in 2013, they later reconnected and secretly married on December 27, 2023.
“I Lost a Lot of Money That Night.”
Nelly was right. It’s exactly like when Michael Jordan is on the basketball court. You don’t want to “wake him up”, and here’s why. Nelly didn’t go into detail about how much, or even when this occurred, but he simply stated: “I lost a lot of money that night.” He also added that he looked to Ashanti, asking, “Babe, what you got in that pocket?” This fueled a round of laughter from Nelly, Anthony, and his co-hosts, Monica McNutt and Kazeem “Kaz” Famuyide.
Nelly appeared on the podcast to promote the upcoming premiere of season two of his reality show. Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together first premiered in 2025. Additionally, the married couple has announced their first official joint tour, scheduled for 2027. The tour was officially announced on October 21, 2026, during the couple’s appearance on Good Day New York.
The second season of Nelly & Ahanti: We Belong Together will premiere on November 19, 2026, on Peacock.
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