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‘Michael Jordan and Steve Kerr’s 1997 NBA Finals talk was planned for the cameras’: Scottie Pippen reveals MJ’s famous ‘Be ready’ to Kerr was a farce for the cameras

Ashish Priyadarshi
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Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen haven’t been on the best of terms, and recently Pippen revealed that MJ’s ‘Be Ready’ to Steve Kerr was staged.

Scottie Pippen has been all over social media lately, taking jabs at former and current NBA stars including Michael Jordan. Well, it doesn’t look like Pippen is done just yet.

In a recent interview with Dan Patrick, Pippen revisited some talking points about his time with Michael Jordan in the 90’s. The interview gradually shifted to the 1997 Finals and Jordans’ iconic ‘Be Ready’ to Steve Kerr.

For context, here’s what they were talking about:

Apparently, however, the whole conversation was staged from the beginning to appeal to the cameras.

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Scottie Pippen Says Michael Jordan & His ‘Be Ready’ To Steve Kerr Was Fake And Staged For The Cameras

When Pippen started talking about the iconic shot by Steve Kerr, Pippen gave Dan Patrick some insight about the huddle right before the shot. He said that things weren’t exactly as they seemed:

“Do you know all those cameras who were sitting in that huddle…who they was working for? You know who Michael was speaking to when he said that, right? That was planned! That was speaking to the camera. That wasn’t speaking out of what we’re gonna have to do, what the play is gonna be. That was speaking to the camera. That was building his own documentary because he knew he was controlling the cameras.”

This led to a moment of confusion because Dan Patrick was taken aback by what Pippen had just said. This was a serious accusation to make, and it seemed a little outlandish. As Patrick sat with a confused look, Pippen had to ask him, “You understand English?”

The discomfort was also caused because Pippen’s words may have no backing to them. Michael Jordan only had a camera crew follow him around during the 1998 season, not the 97 one. So, why would he be saying anything to anyone for future usage at that time? It’s a little unclear.

However, this whole conversation reveals a deeper rift between Pippen and Jordan, something that doesn’t seem to be resolved especially since the release of ‘The Last Dance’ last year.

Also Read: ‘Paul George shot 40% on field goals in playoffs’: Playoff P along with Russell Westbrook are among the most inefficient scorers in NBA Playoffs

About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi

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Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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