Bulls legend Scottie Pippen believes he was a better teammate than Michael Jordan. The former Bulls forward cringed at MJ’s autocratic way of leading the team.
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Scottie Pippen’s recently released memoir Unguarded has become the synonym for controversies. The book has divulged some intricate details about the league, especially his former Bulls teammate Michael Jordan. Pippen has been making headlines daily with some of his quotes from the book.
The seven-time All-Star has accused MJ of being selfish, condescending, and a bad teammate. The worst statement being Jordan ruined the game of basketball. Recently, Pippen was again in the news stating that Jordan treated his teammates poorly.
Pippen believed he was the go-to person over MJ in the Bulls. The Hall of Famer had a more democratic approach in dealing with his teammates. Though Pippen’s recent statements may be bizarre, him being a better teammate holds some truth to it.
Former Bulls players Bill Wennington and John Paxson had in the past praised Pippen’s leadership qualities. Though they didn’t name MJ, their statements indicated that they preferred Pippen as a leader over Jordan.
Scottie Pippen slams the theory that the Bulls won six championships because Michael Jordan got out the best in his teammates.
Pippen’s statement on Jordan’s way of treating his teammates may have some truth to it. Croatian basketball superstar and former Bulls player had publicly stated that while MJ was the best player, Scottie was a better teammate.
In his recently released memo, Pippen slammed the notion of MJ bringing out the best in his teammates as the reason the Bulls won six championships.
“In the doc, Michael attempted to justify the occasions in which he berated a teammate in front of the group. He felt these guys needed to develop the toughness to get past the NBA’s more physical teams. Seeing again how poorly Michael treated his teammates, I cringed, as I did back then.
“Michael was wrong. We didn’t win six championships because he got on guys. We won in spite of his getting on guys. We won because we played team basketball, which hadn’t been the case my first two seasons when Doug Collins was our coach. That’s what was special about playing for the Bulls: the camaraderie we established with one another, not that we felt blessed to be on the same team with the immortal Michael Jordan.”
“I was a much better teammate than Michael ever was. Ask anyone who played with the two of us. I was always there with a pat on the back or an encouraging word, especially after he put someone down for one reason or another. I helped the others to believe in and stop doubting themselves.”
Via: Yahoo Sports
Pippen’s above statements bear evidence to them. At the time, Jordan was the greatest player in the NBA. However, his assassin mentality is not something all his teammates could develop. In the past as well, there have been stories of Jordan employing an autocratic strategy with his teammates.
Though Pippen has been receiving a lot of hate for his outlandish statements, him being a better teammate than Jordan does bear some evidence to it.
