Jun 7, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; NBA former player Scottie Pippen before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors in game three of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Scottie Pippen has offered some more criticism of Michael Jordan.
Pippen was a guest on his former teammate Stacey King’s “Stacey King’s Gimme The Hot Sauce Podcast” for an episode that was published on Friday. In the episode, Pippen was asked for his thoughts on “The Last Dance,” which was the 10-part documentary series on the 1998 Chicago Bulls, told from Jordan’s perspective.
Pippen said he viewed the series as a tool to make Jordan more relevant to today’s players and the young generation of fans. He also offered criticism of Jordan — specifically about the way MJ treated his teammates.
“The success of the Bulls came from the team,” Pippen said. “It didn’t come from Michael Jordan. It didn’t come from him being critical of other players. If anything, that discouraged players, because no player wants to be talked down to, belittled or even made fun of to some way.”
Pippen said he couldn’t remember any free agents coming to Chicago wanting to play with Jordan. But he said he remembered players wanted to come when MJ wasn’t there (during the break for baseball or after Jordan retired).
Pippen was asked for his Mount Rushmore of greatest players, not including himself. He instead gave his starting five for a great team and said it would include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Karl Malone.
As a follow-up, he was asked where LeBron ranks among the greatest players. Pippen said it’s difficult to rank players across eras, especially if he never got to see someone play (like Bill Russell). But he praised James as a great winner based on not just championships but also how many NBA Finals he’s reached.
Though he praised Jordan as “one of the greatest individual scorers we have seen,” he offered some more criticism, saying MJ’s focus to start his career was not on winning.
#Bulls Scottie Pippen: “LeBron James will be the greatest statistical [player] to ever play the game of basketball. [Michael Jordan] was a horrible player.” pic.twitter.com/j3bQ8rWcte
— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@DieHardCBfans) May 26, 2023
“I seen Michael Jordan play before I came to play with the Bulls … he was a horrible player. He was horrible to play with. He was all one-on-one. He was shooting bad shots. All of a sudden we become a team and we start winning, everybody forgot who he was,” Pippen said.
Pippen was critical of “The Last Dance” when it first came out, labeling it “condescending.” He also has indicated in recent years that he felt overlooked by the media.
Pippen continues to tell it like he sees it when it comes to Jordan, even if he still respects his former teammate’s game.
You can watch the entire interview below:
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