Michael Jordan sparks health concerns as disturbing photo of NBA legend emerges on trip to Monaco

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 pointed out the former Chicago Bulls star's disturbing yellow eyes in the comments section.

“Why the hell is MJ here with jaundice? With eyes like a vampire in Brooklyn,” wrote one fan.

“Are we surprised? Brother drinks like a fish,” added a second, while a third wrote: “His liver: do you know you have 30 minutes?”

While some expressed their concerns in a humorous way, other fans took a more serious approach to Jordan's allegedly harmful lifestyle.

“The man has all the money, fame and success a girl could ever want and yet he's headed for an early death. This sucks,” said one fan.

“As someone who grew up in a family of alcoholism and drug abuse and 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 first voiced their theories following the release of the hugely popular documentary series The Last Dance.

Jordan was interviewed for the Netflix show and regularly appeared with a yellowish tint to his eyes, leading his fans to claim he was suffering from jaundice – or perhaps something more serious.

Jaundice is often caused by excessive alcohol consumption and results in yellowing of the skin and eyes of those affected.

Fans expressed their concerns about Jordan's drinking habits in the Bleacher Report comment section

Other photos of Jordan showed him drinking a glass of wine while watching the football game

Jordan was seen playing with his wife Yvette Prieto (second from left) on Thursday

Jordan's eyes were similar during the documentary “The Last Dance” on Netflix in 2020

Following the release of The Last Dance, ophthalmologist Dr. Val Phua told VICE, “Yellow eyes should not be ignored because they are a sign that something more serious is going on. There is literally more to it than meets the eye.”

“If eye diseases are not treated, they can lead to impaired vision or 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 local cause of the discoloration, such as a pinguecula.”

Jordan does not regularly comment on his love of alcohol and smoking, but once revealed: “I often dream that I am a severe alcoholic and cannot stop drinking and I embarrass myself. And I will lose everything. I wake up from this dream drenched in sweat.”

He has also spoken about the alcohol and drug culture that surrounded him during his time as an NBA player.

During The Last Dance, he revealed: “I had a preseason event, I think we were in Peoria. It was at a hotel, so I was trying to find my teammates. So I started knocking on doors. I got to this one door and I knocked on the door, and I heard somebody say, 'Shh, someone's outside.' And then you hear this deep voice, somebody say, '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 many years.

Jordan sprays teammate Dennis Rodman with champagne after winning the NBA title

A man points his camera at Jordan as he speaks during a FaceTime call during Thursday night's game

“… So they open the door. I walk in and practically the whole team was there. And there were things that I had never seen in my life as a little boy. You have your lines [of cocaine] over here are your weed smokers, here are your women.

“So the first thing I said was, 'Listen, man, I'm out.' Because all I could think was that if they come and invade this place, I'm just as guilty as everyone else in this room. And from that point on, I was more or less on my own.”

This week's disturbing photo from Monaco comes after stories about Jordan's drinking habits emerged over the years.

In his book “Michael Jordan: The Life,” Roland Lazenby describes how the six-time NBA Finals MVP drank beer and started insulting Jerry Krause on the team bus.

In “Blood on the Horns,” Lazenby mentioned how Jordan and his Chicago teammates drank five beers and lit a cigar in the first hour of the game.

During a recent appearance on the Dan LeBatard Show, Jordan's former running mate Scottie Pippen admitted to occasionally drinking beer with him in the locker room.

“I had a few drinks during the test season,” said the legendary striker. “You know, Michael and I had a few test drives during some of the test matches.”

Scottie Pippen admitted that he and Jordan drank beer before friendly matches

Jordan is known for enjoying beer and cigars during his six NBA title-winning career.

“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 there,” Pippen added.

Pippen added that they only drank during low-stakes games when they were playing less.

In 2019, Jordan, along with four other NBA owners, launched Cincoro, a tequila brand.

Jordan's foray into the liquor store with Emilia Fazzalari and Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics, Jeanie Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers and Wes Edens of the Milwaukee Bucks.