Despite Teaming Up With Scottie Pippen in Houston, Charles Barkley Deemed His Friend ‘a Baby’ For Choosing Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal

The 1999 Houston Rockets became a huge disappointment as an NBA team following their miserable end to a postseason run. Despite having the likes of Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, they failed to go past the first round of the playoffs. Following this, Pippen demanded a trade to move out of Texas as Barkley publicly criticized the 6x champion for his off-court antics. Charles had candidly shared his thoughts on ESPN’s ‘Up Close’, as the power forward did not hold back against his ‘friend’.

Reportedly, Scottie wanted to join the Los Angeles Lakers after losing the playoff series to them by a 1-3 margin. The prospect of playing with the youngsters Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal excited the small forward as his desire became public knowledge. It came quite close to becoming a reality as his former coach, Phil Jackson, had joined the LA side.

The motive infuriated Barkley as he “underscored how hard he’d worked to bring Pippen to Houston, and how disappointed he was in his friend”. The 1993 MVP hinted at how Pippen’s ambition had represented a “no-lose situation” just as his time with the Chicago Bulls. Charles further indicated how the wins at the Lakers would highlight his “leadership”, while the defeats would throw Kobe and Shaq under the bus.

Despite the frustration, the 11x All-Star admitted how crucial Scottie was to fulfill the goal of winning a championship in Houston. After describing his 1992 Olympics Dream Team colleague as “a baby” several times, he paid respect to the 7x All-Star’s gameplay. The Rockets star thus “emphasized he wanted, and needed, that baby as his teammate” during the interview.

What was the next move for Scottie Pippen?

The combination of young Kobe and O’Neal was evidently on the rise. The duo showcased great chemistry on the court as it only became better with time. Despite a little ongoing feud, the potency of their force was tough to neglect. So, that side of the City of Angels was an attractive destination for several players in the NBA during that time.

Pippen was no exception as he became one of the names on that list as soon as things went south with the Rockets. It was supposed to anger Barkley, especially because the franchise took a chance with Scottie despite his back surgery after the 1998 championship win. He even took a pay cut in his contract to accommodate the two-way player on the roster.

Despite Charles’ best efforts of winning his first-ever NBA ring, it was bound to fail. Each of them including Hakeem was in their 30s as the organization finished 5th in the Western Conference to reach the playoffs. The lack of promising youth players cost them time and time again before the path eventually led to a fallout.

So, the Lakers were the first choice of Pippen as he wanted to become the core experienced figure of a team. The chances increased immensely after his former coach Phil Jackson joined the side. In the end, he had to join the Portland Trail Blazers in a trade that benefited no one but cost Charles the most at that phase of his career.