In 1998, the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 90s came to an end. Michael Jordan retired the Bulls had decided to blow things up, trading Scottie Pippen. The Houston Rockets snapped him up forming a heck of a super team in the process. A team that included Scottie himself, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Charles Barkley.
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Unfortunately, the team found no success and Pippen wanted out a year later. Why? Because Sir Charles had no dedication to winning and he couldn’t stand it.
Scottie Pippen wishes he listened to Michael Jordan and never teamed up with Charles Barkley
The Houston Rockets took a gamble when they traded for Scottie Pippen in 1999. The idea was to push for a championship by forming a “Big 3” with Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley.
Unfortunately, both Hakeem and Charles were at the tail end of their careers. Thus resulting in a Playoff loss to the Shaq and Kobe-led LA Lakers. Something that left Pippen quite peeved.
It reached a point where he decided to force a trade away to the Trailblazers. And, when asked why, he put all the blame on the Round Mound of Rebound and wished he had listened to his former teammate Michael Jordan
“I probably should’ve listened to Michael a year ago when he said that Charles will never win a championship because he doesn’t show any dedication. He’s a very selfish guy. He doesn’t show the desire to want to win. That’s my reason for wanting to get away from playing with him -because he just doesn’t show the dedication.”
Hakeem Olajuwon. Scottie Pippen. Charles Barkley.
The Big 3 did NOT go according to plan for the Rockets in the 90s pic.twitter.com/Joud7csi3G
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) June 3, 2021
Things further escalated from there, with Barkley demanding an apology. Only for Scottie to respond saying he should be receiving one instead. Thus, sparking a beef that is yet to end.
Charles Barkley continues to show his distaste for Scottie
Even to this day, Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley have not put their differences aside. The two never miss out on an opportunity to diss each other, resulting in animosity that has lasted more than two decades.
It certainly is one of the more entertaining beefs in NBA history. One that is unlikely to end anytime soon.