In an interview on Stacey King’s podcast ‘Gimme the Hot Sauce,’ former Chicago Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen made some surprising comments about his experience playing with basketball legend Michael Jordan.
Pippen described Jordan as a “horrible player” and criticized his style of play, stating that he often took bad shots and focused too much on individual performance.
However, Pippen acknowledged that once the team started winning and functioning as a cohesive unit, Jordan’s flaws were overlooked.
He emphasized that Jordan’s strength was in scoring, rather than being a well-rounded player.
Pippen’s comments come in the wake of the highly acclaimed Netflix documentary series, “The Last Dance,” which chronicled Jordan’s final season with the Bulls in 1997/98.
In the series, the key roles played by Jordan and Pippen in Chicago’s success were highlighted.
Pippen’s recent statements, however, shed a different light on their relationship and Jordan’s playing style.
Moreover, Pippen took to Instagram to further emphasize his own accomplishments and impact in the league.
He shared a picture of himself during his younger days, accompanied by a caption celebrating his six championships, two gold medals, Hall of Fame induction, and the record for most playoff wins with the Bulls franchise.
The post seemed to highlight Pippen’s belief that he is an unsung hero in the basketball world.
In addition to his remarks about Jordan, Pippen also praised Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Many consider James to be on par with, or even surpassing, Jordan’s legacy.
Pippen acknowledged James as the greatest statistical player in the history of the game, raising the question of whether statistics alone determine greatness.
It is worth noting that Pippen has not been shy about expressing his feelings towards Jordan in the past.
He previously stated that he felt like nothing more than a prop in “The Last Dance” and believed that Jordan received an overwhelming amount of praise while his own contributions were overlooked.
Pippen criticized the documentary for giving Jordan editorial control and portraying him as the leading man, relegating Pippen and other teammates to supporting roles.
While Jordan has not directly responded to Pippen’s recent comments, sports journalist Jackie MacMullan shared on the ‘Hoop Collective’ podcast that Jordan appeared surprised by the blowback from the documentary.
It seems that Pippen’s remarks have caught Jordan off guard and may have caused some unease.
CNN has reached out to the Charlotte Hornets, the team owned by Jordan, for a response.
It remains to be seen how Jordan will address Pippen’s criticisms, if at all.
