Furious with Michael Jordan?s ?Supporting Cast? Remarks, Scottie Pippen and Co. Proved Their Worth: ?Couldn?t Do After Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell Retired??

NBA legend Michael Jordan was not just a great player but also a great leader, even though not many would agree with his ways of leadership. He mostly led his team with his performances rather than words. However, Jordan sometimes used his words to motivate his teammates as well. MJ sometimes made harsh comments to the media to motivate his teammates to be better. However, that did not always sit well with his teammates.

Jordan and the Chicago Bulls struggled to get past the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs. This drove him wild. He was obsessed with beating them in 1991 and went to great lengths to do it. He became stronger during the offseason to help himself against the physical style of the Bad Boys. However, he wanted to push his teammates as well.

The team’s response to the comments of Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan wanted to fire up his teammates, especially, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. So during a press conference after a playoff game against the Pistons, Jordan referred to them as “my supporting cast” and stated that they played well. This definitely lit a fire under their belly and the Bulls finally defeated the Pistons in the playoffs. It was a clean sweep. The Bulls went on to win three straight titles after that, securing their first one against the Showtime Lakers. However, in 1993 Jordan shocked everyone when he announced his retirement following his father’s demise.

But this was when his teammates proved their worth by making the playoffs, winning over 50 games during the season. Sam Smith, the author of The Jordan Rules, talked about this in his book. He recounted how teams have historically struggled after a superstar retired. Smith noted, “…something the Lakers could not do after Magic Johnson retired, the Celtics could not do after Larry Bird retired, and their respective teams couldn’t do after Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Jerry West retired.”

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Pippen, Grant, and the Bulls proved to everyone they were not just a “supporting cast” to Jordan and that they can make the playoffs without the Bulls superstar. The successful stint also validated Jackson’s efforts as head coach of the team.

The Chicago Bulls without Jordan

In Michael Jordan’s absence in the 1993-94 season, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant shouldered the scoring responsibilities for the team. They were equally good at other departments as well. Pippen averaged 22 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.9 steals per game. Furthermore, he finished third in the MVP race that season.

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Grant averaged 15.1 points, 11 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. Also, B. J. Armstrong chipped in with 14.8 points per game while Tony Kukoc came off the bench with 10.9 points per game. Even though they were not able to make a deep run in the playoffs, the players proved they were not a one-man team.