“Don’t Feel the Least Bit Sorry for Scottie Pippen”: Michael Jordan’s Bulls Could’ve Been Broken Apart by Betrayal Scares

The Chicago Bulls can boast of having some of the biggest names in league history as concurrent players. With stars like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman on the roster, the Bulls dominated the NBA for an entire decade. However, not everything was fine internally. Pippen was underpaid and this emerged as a problem for the player’s camp. Moreover, the team had decided to bring in Croatian wonder kid Toni Kukoc, while discounting Pippen’s salary demands.

This caused a lot of problems within the Bulls organization, which was extensively covered by Sam Smith in his book, ‘The Jordan Rules’. Pippen openly rebelled following an injury to an NBA superstar which urged the front office to react.

Scottie Pippen openly rebelled against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls once boasted of having the duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. While Jordan took most of the laurels, Pippen did his work quietly. He was also massively underpaid and the management offered him a 5-year contract worth $18 million in 1991. Although Pippen had accepted the deal, the Bulls’ interest in Toni Kukoc changed his mind.

Meanwhile, Charles Barkley had injured himself right then which urged Pippen to introspect about similar predicaments and ask for a contract immediately. This wasn’t taken well by Jerry Reinsdorf, as revealed in ‘The Jordan Rules’.

Reinsdorf said, “You get this straightened out or we’re through. Scottie Pippen has a contract with this organization and he has every legal and moral right to live up to it. We’ve been fair, but we’re not going to be made fools of. I don’t feel the least bit sorry for Scottie Pippen.”

READ MORE: “It’s a Soldier Gone AWOL”: Frustrated by Constant Taunts From Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Bulls Teammate’s “Failure” Brought His Fallout

However, these internal disputes didn’t disintegrate the formidable Bulls side, at least not before they completed two three-peats. Pippen had a lot of issues with the team that eventually led to his departure during the 1999 season. The six-time NBA champion joined the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster sign and trade.

Pippen earned more in salaries than Jordan

Despite not earning much with the Chicago Bulls, Pippen ended up earning $20 million more than Jordan in salaries. He earned $67.5 million in five years when he signed with the Houston Rockets.

His stints with the Portland Trailblazers also added a lot to his salary earnings. On the other hand, Jordan earned around $90 million in salaries spanning his brilliant career in the NBA.

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