Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan’s public falling out has been difficult to witness. The two former friends and teammates have had a very public falling out over the last month, mostly due to Pippen’s comments about Michael Jordan and how he was treated poorly during their time together in Chicago.
Pippen’s primary complaint was over ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries, saying that Jordan used it to further his own image, and used him and the rest of his Bulls teammates to make himself look better. On top of that, he said that Michael Jordan had been condescending when calling him his best teammate ever.
On top of that, he made some strange statements, such as shading Jordan’s flu game, and even claiming that he was just as good a player as Michael Jordan. These comments shocked people, given how complimentary MJ has been toward Pippen for his entire career, and even after that.
But fans were surprised to see Pippen actually speaking with empathy toward Jordan. In his new memoir, Pippen revealed that he wished he had reached out to Jordan when his father passed away in 1993, having experienced the same. He added that they’ve never spoken about the experience of losing their father.
“Another opportunity, if you can call it that, came during the summer of 1993, and I feel horrible every time I think about it. Michael’s father, James Jordan, had been murdered. The two were inseparable. When I heard the news, I should have reached out to Michael right away. Having lost my own dad three years before, I might have been able to offer Michael some comfort. To this day, he and I haven’t spoken about his father’s death.”
Via: EssentiallySports
Clearly, despite all the differences he has with Jordan, he can understand how painful the experience of losing his father was. On top of that, he had experienced that pain himself and wished that he could have been there for Michael Jordan during this tough time in his life.
While this admission will be well received, it is highly unlikely that this will change anything between the former teammates. Pippen has said a lot of negative things about Jordan, and their relationship is more than likely over unless something drastically changes.
