When Scottie Pippen regretted joining forces with Charles Barkley in Houston during the 1998-99 NBA season.
Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen have always shared a dysfunctional relationship. The two legends who were arch-rivals during the initial years of their careers had joined forces in Houston during the 1998-99 season lockout-shortened season.
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Pippen was coming off his second 3-peat in Chicago when he was traded to the Houston Rockets. To accommodate the 6x champion, Barkley had taken a salary cut to create cap space.
The Rockets roaster was headlined with superstars such as Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and Hakeem Olajuwon. However, these superstars were rather at the flag end of their careers and past their prime.
As per reports, there were a lot of chemistry issues within the team, especially involving Barkley. Though the Rockets had clinched a spot in the playoffs, cracks within the team had started emerging. The Rockets were eliminated by the LA Lakers’ young duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in the first round of the playoffs.
Post their first-round exit, Pippen demanded a trade and openly called out Barkley for his selfishness and the lack of hunger to win.
Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley sling mud at each other following the 1998-99 season
Barkley, who had sacrificed a lot to make way for Pippen on the Rockets, was clearly disappointed with the latter for leaving only after playing one season.
“For him to want to leave after one year, it disappointed me greatly. The Rockets went out of their way to get Scottie and the fans have treated him well, so I was just disappointed in him.”
Pippen made no qualms about regretting playing with Barkley and responded to his statements.
“I wouldn’t give Charles Barkley an apology at gunpoint. He can never expect an apology from me. If anything, he owes me an apology for coming to play with his fat butt.”
The former Bulls superstar openly criticized Barkley stating,
“I probably should’ve listened to Michael (Jordan) a year ago when he said Charles will never win a championship because he doesn’t show any dedication. He’s a very selfish guy. He doesn’t show the desire to want to win. That’s my reason for wanting to get away from playing with him, because he just doesn’t show the dedication.”
The following season Pippen was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers while Barkley would end his career in Houston. To date, the two legends share a very volatile relationship and are often seen throwing shots at each other publicly.
