In the context of the NBA, there aren’t any super-duos who have achieved as much as the Bulls duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The duo won six NBA championships while going 6-0 in their NBA Finals appearances.
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MJ was drafted by the Bulls in 1984 and Pippen was drafted a few seasons later. The duo endured some growing pains before delivering the Bulls their first NBA championship.
In The Last Dance, Jordan gives insight into how the duo evolved during their time together. It wasn’t just their games that required adjustment over the years, MJ revealed how a change in mentality also sparked their success. And it all began with the two stars finding a bond to hold them together.
Adversities and how one deals with it often shapes character. And it was exactly that that led to the duo bonding, in Jordan’s recollection.
Michael Jordan revealed how standing up for Scottie Pippen fueled them to get closer.
For any young up-and-comer, the sturdy elders pose a roadblock to success. That was exactly how the Chicago Bulls felt in the late 1980s.
The physical style of play in the league was also a breeding ground for conflict. The physicality paved way for various fights and may have been intimidating to the young Bulls too.
However, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen gave each other the belief that they had someone to rely on come what may. And it was such an understanding that led to them thriving once the initial hurdles were cleared.
“One thing about Pip is, if you stand up next to him you make him stronger. All those Detroit times when Rodman wanted to pick on him, he needed someone there. To stand there and say look, I’ll fight with you, just fight! Scottie and I bonded because he felt like he has someone he can count on. And I’m looking at him, like, okay I got someone who I can actually count on” revealed His Airness about how the duo really got together.
Future teammate Dennis Rodman and how he taunted Pippen as a “Bad Boy” is revealed as someone who prompted their coming together. Taking a joint front appeared necessary amidst their initiation to the NBA’s elite.
While they did find common ground, it wouldn’t appear to have been long-standing. After their combined success, rough patches were a common theme in their relationship. And the two apparently do not even exchange words often.
Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan do not talk to each other.
Differences in treatment by the public and their organization did lead to tension at various points in their careers. However, The Last Dance may have been the last straw in their up-and-down relationship.
“There’s nothing for us to talk about. I mean, we could talk about our lives and our families and our golf games or something. But we ain’t gotta go back and clarify nothing that happened in the ’90s” spoke Pippen of their current post-Last Dance relationship.
On various instances, the former Bulls forward has called out his former teammate for his narration of various incidents. Pippen has stated how he believes he has been mistreated in many versions of MJ’s anecdotes.
They may not be standing up for each other or talking now. But when they did, the world was witness to greatness.
Also read: “I don’t have clutch genes”: Scottie Pippen Was Relieved to Have Michael Jordan Taking All The Shots
