Though he still regarded Michael Jordan as the “greatest” basketball player, Scottie Pippen’s perception of his renowned former colleague has undergone a significant shift. This week, the 57-year-old Pippen asserted that prior to their 1987 teammate joining the Chicago Bulls, the 60-year-old Jordan was a “horrible player.”
“Before joining the Bulls to play, I watched Michael Jordan play,” Pippen stated in a now-viral video. “He was a nightmare to play with; he was always one-on-one and had poor shooting form.” We start winning and we come together all of a sudden, and everyone forgets who he was.
Not only did Pippen make fun of Jordan, but he also elevated LeBron James, referring to him as “the greatest statistical guy to ever play the game of basketball.”
This latest development in their escalating dispute is not shocking; rather, it is the ‘Robin’ to his ‘Batman’ attack of Jordan. Their relationship deteriorated further when Jordan’s adult son started dating Pippen’s ex-wife, Larsa, after the 2020 publication of ESPN’s documentary series The Last Dance, which focused on the 1997–98 Bulls.
So how did the relationship between Jordan and Pippen get so strained?
Scottie Pippen takes a photo with Michael Jordan during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Jordan’s son Marcus (right), 32, is now dating Pippen’s ex-wife Larsa (left), 48
In the years following their retirement, everything between them was good.
In 2010, during his own Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Pippen spoke kindly of Jordan: “MJ, you’ve had a profound impact on a lot of lives, but none quite like mine.” I appreciate you being the greatest teammate; I will always treasure that moment and our friendship forever.
In a similar vein, Jordan acknowledged Pippen in his induction speech the previous year for their six titles won together in Chicago.
“You never just saw me in all the videos; you saw Scottie Pippen,” Jordan remarked. “Every title I’ve won.”
Their collaboration is renowned.
When Pippen was traded by the Bulls on draft day in 1987, Jordan was one of the biggest stars in the NBA. The issue was that Jordan had not yet achieved any success at the professional level, despite his evident skills.
Enter Pippen, a former 6-foot-1 guard who developed at unheralded Central Arkansas into a dominant 6-foot-8 forward.
Pippen (No. 33) and Jordan (No.23) enjoyed two separate three-peats as members of the Bulls
Pippen’s arrival in Chicago, coupled with Phil Jackson’s promotion to Bulls head coach in 1989, became the catalyst that turned a woeful franchise into six-time NBA champions.
Not only did they win six titles together, but the pair remained fiercely loyal too.
In fact, in 2018, Pippen told ESPN that Jordan was ‘the greatest player to ever put on shoes and play in our game.’
He even backed off a comparison between Jordan and James: ‘I’m always asked to compare him to LeBron, and I try to make the best of it. But really, the comparison shouldn’t ever be made.’
More recently, though, Pippen’s praise of Jordan has descended into something entirely different.
The issues with Pippen began with ESPN’s ‘Last Dance’ docuseries, which aired in 2020 to wild acclaim.
The problem, from Pippen’s point of view, is that Jordan seemed to be credited for the Bulls’ success in the 1990s, while his teammates were seen as minor players.
‘They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates,’ Pippen, 57, wrote in his memoir, Unguarded, which was released in 2021. ‘Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn’t have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director.’
Pippen asserts that this is why the documentary seemed unauthentic.
In December 2020, Pippen told The Guardian, “I don’t think it was that accurate in terms of really defining what was accomplished in one of the greatest eras of basketball, but also by two of the greatest players — and one could even put that aside and say the greatest team of all time.”
“Those things didn’t seem to stand out in the documentary,” I said. In my opinion, Michael was mostly attempting to elevate himself and gain recognition. To some extent, I believe it backfired because it gave people a glimpse of Michael’s nature.
However, Pippen’s dissatisfaction with Last Dance might have something to do with Jordan’s criticism of him in the documentary.
Jordan specifically criticized Pippen for his unwillingness to get an ankle surgery performed prior to the 1997–1998 season.
He eventually underwent the surgery, but he didn’t play until January since he waited until after a significant portion of the off-season had passed.
Additionally, Jordan claims that Scottie’s salary issue with Bulls general manager Jerry Krause was the reason for his unwillingness to have the procedure.
“In that situation, Scottie was incorrect,” Jordan declared. “He could have been prepared for the season by having the surgery done as soon as the season ended.”
“Scottie was attempting to coerce management into altering his contract.” Jerry had no intention of doing it. Thus, I had to begin the season with the knowledge that Scottie would not be present.
The Bulls went on to win their sixth championship together despite their somewhat poor 24-11 start to the season.
Further complicating matters is the romantic relationship between Pippen’s ex-wife, 48-year-old Larsa, and Jordan’s 32-year-old son, Marcus.
‘Marcus and Larsa are dating and have been spending more time together in recent weeks,’ a source told Us Weekly in 2022 after the couple was spotted in public. ‘They are trying to keep it on the down low because of the rift between Scottie and Michael.’
Pippen and Larsa were married for nearly 20 years and had four children together before divorcing in 2021.
Larsa described their relationship candidly during an episode of Real Housewives of Miami, saying that the couple had intercourse four times a night for 23 years.
‘I was married for 23 years, I’ve always had sex like four times a night,’ she said. ‘So three times a week is nothing… I had sex four times a night, every night. I never had a day off for 23 years.’
When other cast members suggested that Marcus had ‘big shoes to fill,’ Larsa insisted he has nothing to worry about.
‘Well, he has a size 15 shoe so I think he’s OK,’ she said.
Ahmad Rashad, Larsa Pippen, Scottie Pippen, Yvette Prieto and Michael Jordan attend the surprise birthday celebration for Scottie Pippen at Sunda on September 24, 2012
Things have apparently progressed with Larsa and Marcus.
In February, Larsa referred to him on Instagram as her ‘forever Valentine.’
As was the case with Jordan’s feud with rival Isiah Thomas during their playing days, or his recent friction with long-time friend Charles Barkley, the Hall of Famer has avoided speaking publicly on the matter.
Jordan and Pippen were seen smiling and hugging at a game as recently as 2016, but it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll rekindle a partnership that resulted in six NBA titles in Chicago.