Michael Jordan‘s popularity in the 1980s and 1990s reached the sky as he took the league to a global stage. His iconic status started to exceed all expectations of superstardom, and even his teammates were in awe of him. They used to ask him for autographs for their friends and family since Jordan became a household name in America. Even his running mate Scottie Pippen talked about getting MJ’s signature for his near and dear ones, decades before their relationship soured. In the book ‘The Jordan Rules‘, Sam Smith detailed how Scottie Pippen was embarrassed to get his teammate’s autograph and hence, decided to forge it.
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Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen represented the Chicago Bulls as an unstoppable duo that won six NBA championships together in the 90s. However, as time passed, the distance between them grew, for obvious reasons. Scottie Pippen felt disrespected after the Netflix documentary – ‘The Last Dance’ supposedly glorified Jordan’s contributions in the Bulls’ success and downplayed that of the other members of the team, including him.
Scottie Pippen used to fake Jordan’s signature
In 1984, when Michael Jordan first stepped foot on the NBA court, he was destined for greatness. It did not take him long to capture the attention of the fans, and with every passing season, his fandom grew exponentially. Even after his retirement, the craze did not seem to flag in any way. When such a massive personality is your teammate, you are bound to get requests for his autograph. Scottie Pippen once talked about forging MJ’s signature to the point it became embarrassing. Here is a quote from the 1992 book ‘ The Jordan Rules’:
“I used to sign [Jordan’s name] myself, but now I’ve stopped that, too. I’ve got some pride, too, and I’m not going to beg him. I tell them now, I’m not asking him. I just don’t get them anymore.”
Scottie Pippen was probably Michael Jordan’s longest-tenured teammate, and they had achieved a lot of success together. For him to have to fake the legend’s autograph for his friends and family, puts Jordan’s greatness into perspective. According to Pippen, the requests got to the point that he had to step back and introspect on his own pride. He felt ashamed to reach out to his teammate when he had accomplished so much himself.
Disrespectful fans annoyed Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan’s popularity had reached such heights back in the day that fans often crossed his personal boundaries to reach out to him. This did not sit well with Jordan. He was often upset with fans who were disrespectful and wanted to tell them to screw themselves. There was no rest for the legend, as wherever he would go, they would swarm him like bees.
In an incident narrated by MJ, fans were waiting for him at a hotel lobby at midnight. When he refused to entertain them because he was tired, they decided to clap back at him with unpleasant words. However, Michael did not react and just went along his way.
