In the 90s, the Chicago Bulls rose to the top of the NBA with Michael Jordan becoming a living legend, and Scottie Pippen, his trusted second-in-command. However, Pippen also led the team when Jordan was away playing baseball, holding well on his own even though they did not win NBA titles.

In an old interview, then-Bulls head coach Phil Jackson was asked about Pippen and Jordan. To Jackson, Pippen remained the superior overall player, without whom the Bulls might not have been able to win. Pippen’s importance was also felt when the 1997-98 season began, the team suffering a rough start to their season.

What did Phil Jackson have to say about Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan?

In this old clip, Jackson started by referring to Pippen as an unselfish player, someone always looking to elevate the team. “The greatest all-around player in the NBA right now. He’s absolutely terrific”. 

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Later, he was asked about Pippen in comparison to Jordan, and why the two are different. While Jordan is undoubtedly a terrific player, Pippen remains an all-rounder, a passer, a defender, a rebounder. “And the great energy that he can have on the court does a lot of things out there in the basketball court that is terrific,” he added.

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The coach added that Pippen can also lead the team while scoring enough points, assists, and rebounds, possibly a triple-double. “Michael, no one can score like Michael. And scoring is a wonderful thing to do but it’s not the end-all end-all. It takes a lot of guys”. 

Pippen and his new memoir, ‘Guarded’

This month, Scottie Pippen released his memoir ‘Guarded’. It goes without saying that people have viewed the book and Pippen’s comments as controversial, especially as they are aimed at Jordan and The Last Dance. The book also deals with his childhood, and how he ended up making his way towards the Bulls.

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It also deals with how Jordan portrayed himself and everyone else in his docuseries, something which Pippen has spoken about otherwise as well.

What do you think about Jackson’s view of Pippen? Was he truly a better overall player than Jordan?