Rockets Legend Could Have Joined Bulls If Michael Jordan Didn’t Threaten the Team Only for his Friend Scottie Pippen

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were an integral part of the Chicago Bulls’ success in the ’90s. Together, they formed an incredible pairing that helped the Bulls win six titles. Moreover, their offensive and defensive abilities kept the Bulls at the helm of the NBA for a long time.

However, after Jordan’s first retirement and comeback, the Bulls were unable to continue the success from their first threepeat from 1991 to 1993. After a two-year title drought, the Bulls got back to winning ways with 3 more titles in a row. However, prior to attaining the 6th title in the 1997-98 season, the Bulls almost traded Pippen for rising star Tracy McGrady. To prevent the move, MJ threatened his team by choosing to retire if they traded away his compatriot.

How Michael Jordan Prevented Scottie Pippen’s Trade

Tracy McGrady narrated the incident on how MJ prevented the trade himself. During an episode of the ‘Knuckleheads’ podcast, McGrady shared details on how almost never played for the Toronto Raptors who drafted him in 1997.

“Draft night. I almost traded for Scottie,” said McGrady.

“The night before the draft, Jerry Krause called my agent, got me up 12 o’clock at night, had me go to a secret location to take a physical,” he added.

“It was about to go down. But MJ made the calls, ‘Yo. If y’all do that, I’m retiring. So he stopped that real quick,”‘ explained T-Mac on how MJ threatened the Bulls.

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Clearly, Jordan wasn’t going to allow Pippen to leave. Pippen was MJ’s go-to guy after all. They formed the core of the Bulls’ success and Jordan did not want to give that up. Thereafter, McGrady was finally drafted by the Raptors and the Bulls won their 6th title.

MJ and Scottie in the 1997–98 Chicago Bulls

After the Bulls decided to stick with Pippen, MJ was determined to go after the threepeat. In fact, the Bulls finished that season with a 62-20 record behind a scoring barrage from MJ. Moreover, Jordan was named MVP and both Pippen and him finished in the All-NBA Team. Furthermore, despite playing just 44 games in the regular season, Pippen contributed to the scoring, playmaking, and rebounding departments effectively.

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Thereafter came the playoffs. In the first round, both MJ and Pippen washed away the New Jersey Nets with ease. With 3-0 victory in the best of 5 series, they advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This too was an easy matchup for the duo. Together, they contributed to nearly 53% of the points scored by the Bulls in the series.

After a 4-1 trouncing of the Hornets, the Bulls faced a major test against the Pacers. Here, they would edge out Reggie Miller’s Pacers in a heavily contested 7 game series. Here again, Pippen supported MJ with an all-around performance.

Soon enough, the Bulls found themselves in the finals yet again. Here they would eliminate the Utah Jazz in 6 games and lift the title. Looking back, sticking with Pippen paid off in the end as the duo brought six titles to the city of Chicago.