5 Professional Athletes Who Smoke
By USABR
Considering how important physical fitness is for professional athletes, it’s surprises many to learn that their favorite athletes actually enjoy the occasional smoke. Here are five of the most prominent examples.
- Michael Jordan
Air Jordan is probably the most famous basketball player of all time and a role model for millions of young players worldwide, but the six-time champion had his share of vices when he was out of the spotlight. An avid gambler, Jordan also loves his cigars, and there is no shortage of pictures of him enjoying a stogie. He notably smoked a cigar after winning his first NBA championship (and likely repeated the ritual for the next five), and even created some controversy in San Francisco for smoking at one of the city’s public golf courses, which is banned. There is a $100 fine for doing so, but it’s doubtful anyone asked Jordan to pay up. Even if they did, this is a man who frequently bets tens of thousands of dollars, so a $100 fine isn’t going to be a big deal to him.
- Ricardo Mayorga
Once called the craziest man in the sport of boxing, Mayorga did it his way and mad no apologies. Mayorga become famous for disliking his opponents and for his frequent trash talk. He also loved cigarettes and would often have one during his post-fight interviews. Despite that habit, he posted an impressive string of victories in the late-90s and early-2000s, eventually winning the WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles. However, his career fell off shortly after that, as he alternated wins and losses for many years.
- John Daly
Another bad boy of his sport, Daly became most well-known for his hard partying lifestyle. Golf certainly isn’t as strenuous as many other sports, but it’s still a sport, and most golfers keep themselves in good shape to perform at their best. Daly never cared too much about his physical condition, as he would overeat, drink, and smoke plenty of cigarettes, often on the course. In 2009, he ended up getting lap-band surgery because of his weight issues. He eventually cut back on his drinking, but he still loves to smoke and usually goes through two packs per day.
- Quinton Jackson
A former UFC light heavyweight champion, the man nicknamed “Rampage” is known for his vicious knockout power and his penchant for taking it easy when he’s not training for a fight. Photographers have snapped numerous photographs of the mixed martial arts fighter smoking cigarettes in his free time. Jackson doesn’t worry about his weight when he’s not training, as he frequently hits about 250 pounds between fights, even though he has competed for the majority of his career at 205 pounds.
Jackson is one of the few mixed martial artists who openly smokes cigarettes, but one thing that is becoming more common in the sport is fighters using vapes with either e-cig juice, a different alternative to tobacco, or CBD oil. Nate Diaz famously smoked CBD oil after his UFC 202 fight with Conor McGregor, and told journalists about the benefits.
- Randy Moss
Moss relied quite a bit on his natural talent throughout his illustrious NFL career, and that talent helped him get away with his smoking habit. He had no problem admitting that he smoked marijuana, and there are plenty of pictures of the superstar wide receiver smoking cigarettes. Regardless of what he did off the field, Moss had amazing athletic ability, as there are few, if any, wide receivers in the history of the game who can match his combination of speed, vertical leap, and catching ability.
Professional athletes may perform at the absolute highest level, but they are still human like everyone else. They have their vices and habits, and in many cases, they enjoy having a smoke from time to time.
