Michael Jordan has often been accused of being harsh and heartless toward his teammates. However, whenever he could, MJ did look out for his teammates, especially his running mate Scottie Pippen. He once addressed Pippen’s outrageous contract and publicly claimed that the latter was being underpaid by the Bulls organization.
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In the 1991 offseason, Scottie made one of the most terrible mistakes of his career by signing a 7-year, $18 million contract extension. In what were the greatest seven seasons of his career, the 6-foot-8 star only earned an average of $2.57 million per campaign.
During the 1996-1997 season, Pippen was one of the best players in the league but only earned $2.25 million. Whereas, that very season, MJ earned a staggering $30.14 million.
Talk about a player being treated unfairly.
A few years into the contract, MJ couldn’t help feel sorry for his teammate. In an interview with reporter Cheryl Raye-Stout, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard revealed that he wished to pay Scottie out of his own contract. Calling out the Bulls to reward him with a fair deal after the end of his contract, Jordan said:
“I wish there was some way legally that I could give him some of the money that he totally deserves as a player. He’s totally underpaid. For years, I was underpaid, but I played it out, and I think he’s going to play it out too. At the end of three years, I hope they reward him with a just and fair contract.”
“I wish there was some way legally that I could give him some of the money that he totally deserves as a player. He’s totally underpaid. For years, I was underpaid, but I played it out”
~ 1994,Michael Jordan talking reporter Cheryl Raye-Stout#NBA #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/qzy3AiZ94L
— The Jordan Rules (@Rules23Jordan) June 1, 2023
MJ had already been in a similar position. After completing the 5 years on his rookie contract, Air Jordan accepted an 8-year, $25.7 million extension in 1988. Clearly, this made it easier for Jordan to empathize with the two-way star.
As a matter of fact, Jordan had prohibited Pippen from signing the seven-year deal. But the Bulls star didn’t listen to MJ to secure the financial security of his family.
However, that would backfire in a major way for Scottie.
