A lot has been said about Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan’s relationship after the Chicago Bulls’ 10-part docu-series ‘The Last Dance’ aired on ESPN from April through May. Rumors suggested Pippen was ‘fuming’ after watching the documentary and the way he was portrayed during his last seasons with the Bulls.
Pippen himself played down those comments, stating that he’s not upset about anything and he and MJ remain friends to this day. The small forward had a little chat with Mark Carman on ‘Da Windy City‘ podcast, where he talked about his relationship with His Airness and all the rumors that surfaced after ‘The Last Dance’ aired.
“Why would I be offended by anything that happened 30 years ago,” Pippen said, via Dan Gelston of NBA.com.
During the second episode of the docu-series, Jordan called Pippen ‘selfish’ for his decision of delaying offseason surgery until after the start of the 1997-98 season. They also recalled the time Scottie refused to play the final seconds of Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Talking about the rumors of his unhappiness, Pippen was quick to shut them down.
“I wasn’t upset about it.”
“It didn’t bother me at all,” Pippen said. “It was an opportunity for our younger generation that hadn’t seen or knew anything about basketball in the ’90s.”
Pippen became a huge star with the Bulls, winning six titles in eight years, becoming one of the best players in the world during his prime, creating one of the best duos the league has seen along with Michael Jordan.
He had the chance to discuss more topics, including who he believes is going to win the title at the bubble. He picked LeBron James and his Lakers as the favorites to claim the championship at the Orlando bubble.
“If you wanted to pick one, I’d say whichever team LeBron James is on,” Pippen said. “The fact that his experience, his ability to pull a team together, the ability to be dominant. He’s the most dominant player in the game right now with Kevin Durant not being in the game. ”
Right now Scottie works as an NBA analyst, primarily for ESPN’s “The Jump.” If you have concerns about the status of his relationship with MJ, don’t worry, they’re still friends and nothing can change that.
