Scottie Pippen may be at loggerheads with Michael Jordan now, but there was a time when the latter was vocal about his co-star being underpaid in the history of the league.
Before the 1995-96 season, the legend told Bulls reporter Cheryl Raye-Stout that Pippen was underpaid.
“I wish there was some way legally that I could give him some of the money that he totally deserves as a player,” Jordan remarked. “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.”
To lend perspective, Jordan made $30.1 million in the 1996-97 season and $33.1 million in 1997-98. Meanwhile, Pippen’s highest salary with the team was $3.4 million in 1992-93 coming on the back of a seven-year, $18 million contract.
Certainly, Pippen’s contract with the Bulls will go down as one of the worst in the NBA, but he had his reasons. His family needed tending to at the time, forcing the star to rush into his decision.
Credit to Jordan, however, for standing by his teammate. Maybe they will mend their fences soon.
Michael Jordan Had Backed Scottie Pippen To Get The Same $30 Million Contract He Had
Michael Jordan made no secret of the fact that Pippen deserved more, and he was vocal about it more than a few times. He added that his teammate deserved every bit of the $30 million MJ was making.
“From a financial standpoint, from a contract standpoint, he’s locked in. And he is very deserving of the same $30 million, 30 whatever I get in the next coming year. He’s very deserving of the same contract, I mean because he put forth the effort every single night.
“He goes through the pain and we work out every day. He’s joining me and working out every day to stay healthy, to get out here and provide for this organization and this city so that we can be healthy and we can continue to be champions. So, I mean, that’s what brothers do – we share our success and that’s what I’m doing to him. I just want the trophy, I got enough cars, he can have the Nissan.”
It is indeed unfortunate to see how things panned out for Pippen from a contract viewpoint. His numbers and his contribution to the team surely show he was worth a lot more.
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