“Michael Jordan and I never really had that off-the-court relationship”: Bulls legend Scottie Pippen spills the beans on his relationship with the GOAT

Bulls legend Scottie Pippen recently gave an inside of his relationship with Michael Jordan.

Pippen and Jordan are arguably one of the best basketball duos the world has ever witnessed. The legendary duo won 6 NBA championships together. Though Michael Jordan was considered the face of the Bulls, he always acknowledged Pippen’s importance to the team and the role he played in their success.

In his recent documentary “The Last Dance” on Netflix. Jordan revealed how he could have never won any championship without the contribution of Pippen. MJ has on several occasions, mentioned how the two would push each other to be great.

Pippen had even chosen Jordan to present him during his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 

“I can’t think of a better person to do it,” said Pippen. “Michael is someone I shared my career with, accomplishing most of what I have accomplished thus far.

During Jordan’s hiatus, Pippen had elevated his role to that of a leader in the Bulls locker room. The head coach Phil Jackson made Pippen the focal point of the team.

The Bulls would then go on to win 55 games in the regular season. The Chicago team also made it till the second round of the playoffs that year, where they were eliminated by the Knicks in seven games.

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The bond that Pippen and Jordan shared was mostly only limited to the court. They were two distinct personalities and had different lives outside the basketball hardwood.

Scottie Pippen describes his relationship with the G.O.A.T Michael Jordan

During a recent interview with GQ, Pippen divulged some details about his relationship with Michael Jordan, saying: “Michael was bigger than the game, you know, Even my initial arrival to Chicago he was a big, iconic figure for the NBA (Pippen was drafted three years after Jordan). So, we never really had that off-the-court relationship.”

Pippen had in 2020 even voiced his displeasure over his portrayal in Jordan’s docu-series the last dance. The 7x NBA All-Star felt the series only glorified Jordan and never really spoke about one of the greatest eras of basketball during the time. Pippen had conveyed his grievances to Jordan as well, who agreed with him.

However, this led to rumors of a rift between the two. Pippen downplayed these rumors stating he was never upset and it didn’t bother him.

Pippen also spoke about the great chemistry the two shared on court saying, 

“ Our relationship between the lines was impeccable,” We pushed each other to be great. We trained with each other to be the best. So, everything we did, from a basketball standpoint, it was a high level of respect there that we knew we could be the best. We could be dominant. We had went through pretty much the Vietnam War to get where we got to. We were battle tested”

Also read: ‘Kevin Durant unlike LeBron James doesn’t know how to play team basketball’: Bulls Legend Scottie Pippen Calls Out Nets Superstar, Says KD Can’t Overtake LeBron

There is no denying that the greatness Jordan and Pippen displayed on the basketball floor was one of a kind. Their way of supporting each other speaks volumes of what team chemistry actually means.

Pippen was the perfect robin to Jordan’s batman as the Bulls era revolutionized basketball across the globe