Michael Jordan has been called many things for what he did during his basketball career. He’s been called anything from “the GOAT,” “the ultimate winner,” and “the most competitive player ever,” to “horrible to play with”, in the words of his former running mate, Scottie Pippen.
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There’s no debating Jordan’s greatness, but he was also the indisputable king of being petty. His Hall of Fame induction speech displays some insight into how this man could hold a grudge. Pippen’s comments aside, though, most of MJ’s former teammates have spoken positively about playing with him.
Even Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who was once famously punched by Jordan during a fight in practice, has said that he owes his entire career to Jordan. BJ Armstrong, who was part of the first Bulls three-peat, also looks back fondly on his time with Jordan, as he shared during an interview earlier this week.
“He was a phenomenal competitor as we all know, but I think the greatest thing you can say is he was a phenomenal teammate.”
Armstrong also went on to call Jordan a phenomenal person, and he talked about how his dedication to practice and perfecting his craft was an inspiration that not only helped him become the greatest player ever, but helped the Bulls become a dynasty together.
Armstrong and Kerr’s comments directly contradict Pippen’s 2023 appearance on former Bulls teammate Stacey King’s podcast in which he said that Jordan was “horrible to play with.” Unfortunately, these aren’t the only derogatory things Pippen has said about his longtime teammate and fellow six-time champion.
Why is Scottie Pippen so angry at Michael Jordan?
Pippen had reasons to be unhappy with Jordan, even if they weren’t necessarily good ones. Jordan’s son Marcus dated Pippen’s ex-wife for a little over a year, though they’ve since broken up and Jordan himself didn’t approve of the relationship.
He also felt like he wasn’t portrayed in the best light in the 2020 documentary The Last Dance. He blamed Jordan for his depiction because MJ was so heavily involved editorially with the project.
Pippen called himself “nothing but a prop” to Jordan in The Last Dance, but it’s difficult to agree given that Jordan said, “Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen. Everybody says well I won all these championships, but I didn’t win without Scottie Pippen. And that’s why I consider him my best teammate of all time.”
Pippen is a member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, and by any measure one of the best players ever. It’s understandable for him to feel slighted or overshadowed by his iconic teammate, but really the only time anyone says anything bad about Scottie Pippen is when he opens his mouth to badmouth his former teammate.
Jordan is arguably the best ever, but Pippen is an all-time great in his own right. Hopefully there’ll come a day when he can look back at their time together with a smile on his face like Kerr and Armstrong have done.
