Michael Jordan is considered the greatest NBA player in history and one of the biggest sports icons on Earth. But Jordan has a dark past that involves his alleged struggles with alcoholism.

Sandrarose.com recently published a photo from Backgrid.com that shows Jordan holding a nearly empty bottle of dark Tequila, otherwise known as hard liquor.

He once opened up about his struggles with alcoholism and taking a break from the NBA to sober up.

Jordan was at the peak of his NBA career when he lost his battle to the bottle. The six-time NBA champion had completed his first three-peat with the Bulls when he retired (the first time) from basketball in 1993.

There are rumors that Jordan was forced into retirement due to alcoholism, gambling and other unspoken issues.

Jordan told Oprah Winfrey he retired because he was “bored” during an appearance on her talk show in the ’90s.

Again, an early retirement was always in the cards. The idea of "A competitive guy doesn't quit on his own!" doesn't hold up: MJ retired at the height of his game in 1993 and 1998, and as a 20-PPG All-Star in 2003.

Here is his explanation to Oprah in 1993:#TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/HidMjHAGyQ

— Jack M Silverstein (@readjack) May 11, 2020

Jordan, 62, said he retired after experiencing nightmare dreams.

“I’m an alcoholic in the dream, and because of it, all the things I’ve worked so hard for will be taken away. I wake up numb after those dreams. Those are the kind of dreams when you want to make yourself wake up, because they trouble you so badly.”

“In the dreams, I’m making bad mistakes, and I’m not perfect, but I don’t know what to do about it because I might lose everything,” he said.

The years of alcohol abuse have taken a toll on Jordan’s body. His eyes are permanently yellowed and his skin has darkened from cirrhosis of the liver.

Former Chicago Bulls guard Craig Hodges remembers Jordan playing in NBA games while drunk.

“We go to shootaround and we leave shootaround and we’re on the bus and MJ is like, ‘Man, drop me off here’ and dropped him at the bar and said he gonna have some beers,” says Hodges. “He tells us to pick him up on the way back to the game. We pick him up. He still got his sweats on. And you know MJ come to the game suited and booted.”

Hodges continued: “He was bubbly. I can smell the beer on him. Got 30 [points] at the half. Going through warmups, ‘Man, I’m seeing three rims. I’mma shoot at the one in the middle.'”

“And then he told us, ‘If y’all can’t beat them, we don’t need to win a championship. Y’all can beat them without me.’ But he came in there and got it done early and sat out. Went and sat down,” added Hodges.

The Chicago Bulls went on to win their second straight NBA championship.

In 2001, Jordan was preparing for his comeback with the Washington Wizards. He worked out with other NBA stars to get ready for the season.

The NBA stars included Ron Artest, who was with the Chicago Bulls at the time, and Antoine Walker.

Antoine Walker said Jordan was very serious about his workouts.

Walker revealed that Jordan was big on working out with NBA stars. But they also had their fair share of drinking sessions.

“He had a rule: ‘We’re gonna drink, no juice, all straight vodka,” Walker recalled. He said Jordan believed the sugar in the juice would interfere with their conditioning. “Like, ‘We ain’t going to mess these workouts up. Like if you want to drink, if you want to have your drink, we’re going straight. No juice. Drink or don’t drink,'” Walker recalled Jordan saying.

Former Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen also remembers drinking with Jordan.

“I’ve had a few drinks during the exhibition season,” he said. “You know, me and Michael, we tested the waters a few times when we had some exhibition games. We knew we weren’t playing too many minutes, so we may have a beer or two in the locker room before we go out,” said Pippen on The Dan LeBatard Show.

Despite Jordan’s problems with hard drinking, he’s still considered the GOAT.