Michael Jordan Once Threatened 6ft 8″ Scottie Pippen in His Rookie Season

Michael Jordan was a full-fledged tyrant during his Chicago Bulls days. He preferred to lead with fear and wasn’t afraid of fighting or threatening his fans. While much has been made of his altercation with Steve Kerr and how he punched the guard. It hasn’t been widely discussed how MJ also bullied Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant when they joined the Chicago squad. In fact, Michael threatened to beat up Pippen once.

Michel Jordan wasn’t a kind and polite teammate. He played basketball to win and winning required a certain killer mentality. However, Jordan kept that same mentality with everyone around him, even his teammates.

In no manner are we trying to justify Michael and how he treated the Bulls players. In fact, we believe MJ’s ways were too severe and violent. He could have very easily caused a nervous breakdown in one of his teammates.

That being said, we also acknowledge that his methods, despite being horrible, worked. And the same thing applied to Scottie Pippen.

Also read: Known For Gambling Away Millions, Michael Jordan Once Claimed LeBron James Would Be More Popular Than Him

Michael Jordan threatened Scottie Pippen

In his book Michael Jordan: The life, writer Roland Lazenby wrote about Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant’s budding friendship during their rookie season. The two became so close to each other that they would miss even practices together.

Michael Jordan, who was hell-bent on winning a championship did not appreciate the antics of his young players. He was so fed up with Pippen that Jordan threatened to beat up the 6ft 8″ forward. Lazenby wrote about this exchange in his book.

Roland Lazenby: “Such nonsense irritated Jordan. Krause recalled that practices soon became more entertaining than games in Chicago, with Jordan hunkering down and yelling at Pippen, “I’m gonna kick your a**!”
“Early on, the goal of Jordan’s harsh confrontations in practice was to toughen Pippen. Bach recalled that the young forward learned from the experience, although it didn’t leave the two of them with a relationship noted for its warmth.”

Lazenby pinpoints a dynamic that has played a crucial role in fracturing Pippen and Jordan’s relationship. Scottie’s scathing attack against MJ in the media and his book following the release of ‘The Last Dance.’

MJ bullied teammates because he believed in them

Though it surely sounds like glorification it’s an absolute truth. Michael believed that his teammates were the final key he needed to go on a successful campaign. He had found his warriors.

So, when he realized they were content with their current performances, Michael was deeply disappointed.

Bulls trainer Mark Pfeil, who was close to Michael Jordan, revealed in Lazenby’s book:

“When Scottie and Horace came in, Michael sensed the thing could be turned around. But the thing that frustrated him was that they didn’t have the same attitude. They were young enough to say, ‘Hell, we get paid whether we win or lose.’ And it was good enough for them just to get close.”

Scottie Pippen eventually came around and became a Robin to Michael’s Batman. The two won 6 championships together and absolutely dominated the league in the 90s.

Maybe it was all because of Jordan’s badgering or maybe it was because Pippen succeeded despite the bullying.

Also read: Jasmine Jordan, Who Works For Michael Jordan’s $1.7 Billion Venture, Claimed Her Father Was A ‘Tyrant’ At Home Too