The Chicago Bulls were primarily Michael Jordan’s team, and he led them to six NBA Championships. But Jordan couldn’t have done that without the help of Scottie Pippen.
Pippen was Jordan’s second in command, and the two players’ relationship may have deteriorated over time, but they once shared a great bond. So much so that Phil Jackson revealed in a podcast that Jordan told him he was the best player in the NBA and Pippen was only second to him after the 1992 Dream Team won the Olympics.
“Get back from the Olympics – the Dream Team in 1992, Michael Jordan came down to the office, and we were getting ready to start the season. He said, ‘Scottie Pippen is the second-best player in the NBA.’ I said, ‘Oh, who’s the best?’ [MJ said], ‘Come on, you know who’s the best.'”
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The bond between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen was crucial in helping the Chicago Bulls dominate the NBA in the 1990s.
Scottie was Robin to MJ’s Batman. Although the two NBA legends are no longer close friends, they will always remain one of the greatest duos to play in the league.
Michael Jordan Always Had Scottie Pippen’s Back
There are no doubts that Scottie Pippen was a crucial part of the Bulls dynasty. But in 1997, the then-GM of the team, Jerry Krause, wanted to trade him.
Krause wanted to bring Tracy McGrady to the team in exchange for Scottie Pippen. Well, T-Mac unveiled that upon hearing this, Michael Jordan threatened to retire.
“Draft night, I almost got traded for Scottie. The night before the draft, Jerry Krause called my agent, got me up 12 o’clock at night, had me got to a secret location to take a physical. It was about to go down, but MJ made the calls, ‘Yo, if y’all do that, I’m retiring.’ So he stopped that real quick.”
Michael Jordan did retire in 1998, but only after winning the sixth NBA title of his career alongside Pippen.
It’s sad to see the two Bulls legends’ friendship not being the same today. After all, Jordan always made sure Pippen was by side during their playing days.
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