In the Netflix documentary, the Last Dance, a chronicle about Michael Jordan‘s time with the Chicago Bulls, the six-time NBA champion gave teammate Scottie Pippen the ultimate honor. He said:
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“I didn’t win without Scottie Pippen, and that’s why I consider him my best teammate of all time. Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen”
The quote speaks volumes about the admiration he had for his teammate of 11 years. Once upon a time, Pippen shared the same affection. After the duo led the Bulls to a 4-2 series win over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, he spoke about his teammate in an interview with Sports Illustrated: He said:
“I honestly don’t know whether I could function as a player away from Michael now.”
Pippen spoke highly of Jordan. He admitted that teams targeted him because they knew they couldn’t get to his superstar teammate. Pippen embraced the challenge of being the understudy, the Robin to Jordan’s Batman. He claimed he wanted nothing else than for his legendary teammate to continue dominating:
“I hope [MJ] leads the league in scoring for the rest of his career. And when it’s all over, I’ll be able to say, ‘I helped him do it. And I played with the greatest player ever.’ “
Four more titles together should have only strengthened Jordan and Pippen’s relationship. However, 30 years later, it seems that it’s fractured beyond repair. During an appearance on the Hot Sauce Podcast, Pippen said some shocking things about Jordan:
“I’ve seen Michael Jordan play before I came to the Bulls. You guys have seen him play … He was horrible to play with. It was all 1-on-1, shooting bad shots. All of a sudden, we become a team and we start winning. Everybody forgot who he was.”
More egregiously, he crowned LeBron James as the greatest player of all time, which probably shocked the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, too.
The origin of Pippen’s beef with Jordan can be traced back, ironically, to the “Last Dance,” where the six-time Finals MVP gave his teammate the ultimate praise. In his memoir titled Unguarded, which was released in 2021, Pippen wrote:
“They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates. Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn’t have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director.”
The allegation holds some truth. Jordan had the ownership rights to the footage used in the documentary. He greenlit the series on June 22nd, 2016, the day James and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. They trailed 3-1 in the series and became the first team to overcome that scoreline in the NBA Finals history.
Some have alleged that Jordan only greenlit the production of the “Last Dance” documentary to remind everyone of his greatness in light of James’ achievement. While the documentary is about the Bulls, it features and glorifies Jordan heavily, which Pippen disapproved of.
In the end, it was this constant attention to Michael Jordan that fractured the two Bulls legends’ relationship. Pippen wasn’t wrong in feeling the way he did, especially considering just how much he for Chicago, as well as Jordan’s legacy. And if he did have a voice, MJ should have made sure that the spotlight was put on the entire team, rather than him alone. In the end, that extra step wasn’t taken, and now, a friendship that could have lasted a lifetime lies shattered.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to reunite
Jordan and Pippen have managed to stay clear of each other, at least publicly, since Scottie Pippen’s memoir, ‘Unguarded’ was released in 2021. However, that won’t be possible on January 12th, 2024. The Chicago Bulls will host their annual Ring of Honor night and celebrate their championship-winning 1995-96 team.
Jordan and Pippen are both expected to be present at the event, where, if things go well, they could bury the hatchet. However, given everything that has happened, it’s unlikely that the two will end their differences publicly. Pippen even skipped the NBA 75 celebration at the 2022 All-Star game.
Will he show up and face Jordan this time around? Will Michael be there himself? Only time will tell.
