Scottie Pippen has made headlines in recent days with his statements, and it doesn’t seem like he’s stopping anytime soon. The Chicago Bulls legend labeled Phil Jackson as a racist for giving the last shot of a playoff game to Toni Kukoc instead of him, doubling down on those comments in an interview on The Dan Patrick Show.
He joined the show on Monday to discuss a series of things about his book and his recent interview with GQ. Patrick asked him about those comments on Phil Jackson and that move in the 1994 NBA playoff.
When Patrick asked him about it, Scottie didn’t hesitate and directly called Jackson a racist.
Patrick: “By saying a racial move, you’re calling Phil a racist.”
Pippen: “I don’t have a problem with that.”
Patrick: “Do you think Phil was, or is?”
Pippen: “Oh, yeah.”
Scottie then talked about the time Phil left the Los Angeles Lakers, wrote a book where he exposed Kobe Bryant and then returned to coach him.
“Do you remember Phil Jackson left the Lakers and then wrote a book on Kobe Bryant and then came back and coached him? I mean, who would do that? You name someone in professional sports that would do that. I think he tried to expose Kobe in a way that he shouldn’t have. You’re the head coach. You’re the guy who sits in the locker room and tells the players ‘this is a circle, and everything stays within the circle, and that’s what team is about.’ But you as the head coach, opening up, and now you go out and try to belittle at that time one of the greatest players in the game?”
DP: ".. By saying it was a racial move then you're calling Phil Jackson a racist…"
Pippen: "I don't have a problem with that."
DP: "Do you think Phil was?"
Pippen: "Oh yeah…"
Exchange with @ScottiePippen on Phil's decision to have Kukoc take final shot against the Knicks pic.twitter.com/pH2aDLMDcQ
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 28, 2021
Scottie didn’t back away from that. He owned that comment and doubled down. NBA fans can’t believe he’s “revealing” all these things now, but he apparently has no remorse with that.
He said what he said and is willing to defend it against anybody. He spent too much time quiet, and now that he decided to speak, things are getting out of control.
