“When Michael Jordan retired, you saw Scottie Pippen’s offensive game”: Steve Smith praises the Bulls forward for stepping up in the ‘GOAT’s’ absence

Steve Smith talks about how Scottie Pippen had a chance to shine in an offensive role upon Michael Jordan’s retirement from the NBA. 

Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan made for what would be perhaps the greatest defensive guard-forward duo in the history of the NBA. The two combined for 19 All-Defense teams over the course of their careers and carried the Chicago Bulls to a dynasty that spanned over the course of nearly an entire decade. 

However, while the Bulls were racking together back-to-back-to-back Finals victories, it was very clear that Michael Jordan was the Batman to Pippen’s Robin. Ever since being drafted in 1987 with the 5th overall pick, Scottie Pippen played a role that was solely to compliment what Jordan did.

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Everything from guarding the opposing team’s best offensive player to playing point forward, Pip cleaned up after MJ. Jordan on the other hand, went 6-6 when it came to Finals MVPs and Scottie Pippen wasn’t given a chance to show what he was capable of on his own. 

That is of course, until MJ retired from basketball to play in the Minor Leagues of baseball. 

Steve Smith on Scottie Pippen proving himself without Michael Jordan. 

Steve Smith played against Scottie Pippen and the Bulls twice in the NBA Playoffs, once in ‘92 as a member of the Heat in his rookie season and the other time as an Atlanta Hawk in 1997. He lost both series but playing against Pippen made him realize that he could do so much more than play a secondary role to ‘His Airness’.

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As he recalls during Scottie’s ‘75 Stories’ segment, he talks about how the world got to see a side of Scottie Pippen they had never seen before once Jordan retired from the game of basketball in 1993. [at the 3:00 mark] 

That 1993-94 season saw Pippen lead the Bulls into the Playoffs with a stellar 55-27 record while also being voted 3rd in MVP voting that year. They would suffer a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the New York Knicks in the second round but Pippen showed that he was more than capable of being the primary option on a title contending team.