?We?re Playing Like a Bunch of P*ssies?: Burdened Michael Jordan Felt Helpless and Despised Scottie Pippen and Co. in 1990

NBA legend Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest to ever do it, many would attest to that opinion. However, not many would say that he was a great teammate. Jordan ultimately wanted to win, whatever the cost may be. That sometimes required pushing his teammates to their limits as a leader of the team. But that did not sit well with his teammates every time. Sam Smith detailed in his controversial book the extent of chaos prevalent in the Bulls locker room in 1990.

Jordan and the Chicago Bulls struggled to overcome the Detroit Pistons for years. In 1990, the longtime rivals again faced each other in the playoffs. The Pistons had beaten the Bulls the last two years in the playoffs. This time in the Eastern Conference Finals, MJ wanted to beat the Pistons so badly.

But he had to shoulder the scoring responsibility, and it was not easy. The Pistons won the first two games and Jordan revealed his frustration to his teammates in game 2.

Michael Jordan was not happy with his teammates

‘The Jordan Rules’ was written by Sam Smith and released in 1991. It captured some intriguing moments before the start of the reign of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. It also recorded the incident when Jordan let his teammates hear it in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1990 against the Detroit Pistons.

Smith wrote, “At halftime of Game 2, with the Bulls trailing 53-38, Jordan walked into the quiet locker room, kicked over a chair, and yelled, ‘We’re playing like a bunch of p***ies!'”

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Smith added MJ refused to speak to the reporters after the game. Also, he sat alone in the team bus in silence.

Two days after the game 2 loss, the Bulls returned to practice. However, MJ was growing angry and frustrated with his teammates. Smith noted, “‘I looked over and saw Horace [Grant] and Scottie [Pippen] screwing around, joking and messing up,’ Jordan told an acquaintance later. ‘They’ve got talent, but they don’t take it seriously.'”

Smith added Jordan similarly complained about the rest of the team as well and felt they were not good enough. The Pistons defeated the Bulls 4-3 in the series ending the Bulls’ run for three straight times.

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However, Jordan finally had his revenge the next year as the Bulls swept the Pistons in the playoffs. Chicago then went on to win the title against the Los Angeles Lakers. Jordan’s teammates came through in crucial moments of the playoffs and the Finals.

However, that only happened after Jordan deeply installed a culture of competence and sincerity in the team. In the later stages, Jordan’s grip on the team became so intense that many of his teammates were even intimidated by him. The 2020 Netflix documentary The Last Dance aptly depicts this phenomenon.