Karl Malone once picked Scottie Pippen over Michael Jordan, leaving many aghast. Michael Jordan’s eminence knew no bounds. The Chicago Bulls guard’s ceiling was unparalleled, which was conspicuous from when his rookie campaign came to a halt.
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He delivered on the expectations instilled in him by winning six championships during his six trips to the NBA Finals, an argument profoundly used by his stalwart patronage to shut any opposing arguments questioning His Airness’ distinction.
However, a justification used against Jordan’s greatness is his lack of success without a teammate and fellow six-time NBA champion, Scottie Pippen! As mesmerizing as Jordan was during his prime years, the fact remains that the majority of his triumph is owed to Pippen’s sacrifices and assistance.
A fact attested by Jordan himself. Although a great many followers of the sport don’t pay Pippen his due credit, the seven-time All-Star earned respect and admiration of his competitors.
They made sure to let him know he was just as exceptional and pivotal as Jordan was to the Chicago Bulls’ success. One of these peers included Karl Malone, who once revealed that he would opt for Pippen over Jordan if offered the choice.
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Karl Malone once made an astounding selection between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Karl Malone himself is a critically acclaimed star in NBA history. The former Utah Jazz power forward was a prolific scorer and accumulated over 36,000 points to claim the title of the third-leading scorer in the history of the NBA.
Malone was a franchise player for the Jazz during the mid and late 1980s and 1990s. In his time in the league, he came across multiple phenomenal basketball players. The list undoubtedly included Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Which gave him first-hand insight into just how productive yet devastating they could be on the floor. Having played against the pair as well as with them, the Mailman has made his pick between Jordan and Pippen.
Malone was a guest on the Dan Patrick Show and was queried about his ideal starting five from the fabled 1992 Dream Team. Malone, without hesitation, picked former teammate John Stockton as his point guard.
Following which, Malone said:
“I would have to say, I would start my team with Scottie Pippen… I’m not crazy. This is why I would take Scottie. Do you remember the time that Michael retired? I watched, I watched Scottie Pippen when the Chicago Bulls wasn’t really good. And Scottie led that team in every statistical category.
The 59-year-old continued:
“And I just remember that. Plus, he’s a guy that can care less about scoring. He want to stop the best player on the other team…And that would’ve been pretty cool to see Scottie guarding Michael,”
Malone’s reasoning, by all means, is understandable, although it may leave Jordan’s supporters appalled. In fact, during the 1994 and 1995 campaigns, the two seasons MJ had retired, Pippen was unequivocally one of the best players in the NBA and, without question, an NBA MVP candidate.
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Karl Malone did not like Michael Jordan!
Not to many’s surprise, this isn’t the first instance when he had left the five-time NBA MVP out from certain lists. Preliminary to his comments on the starting five from the Dream Team, Malone once made another appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.
In a similar setting, the 14-time NBA All-Star was asked to pick his all-time starting 11. The Mailman did indeed deliver on that day, as the Jazz’s leading scorer preferred Jordan’s consensus rival for his GOAT status, LeBron James, over Jordan.
In addition, he also decided to include Scottie Pippen in his team. Eventually, Malone’s team consisted of John Stockton, Oscar Robertson, Scottie Pippen, LeBron James, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Not a bad starting five, all things considered.
