“He had that Saltiness About Being Underpaid”: Former Teammate Has Some Harsh Words for Scottie Pippen

After playing 11 seasons for the Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen moved to Houston Rockets. It was a phase in his career where he had won six titles and established himself as a star man alongside Michael Jordan.

Naturally, he didn’t settle in too soon upon his move to Houston. His teammate there, Matt Bullard, remembered the time when Pippen came into the Rockets side.

“When Scottie Pippen left the Bulls, I didn’t realize that he was coming off of being very underpaid for seven years,” Bullard said on SportsTalk 970 in Houston. “I didn’t know that he had that saltiness about being underpaid when he came to us.

“But I do remember, the rest of us — when Scottie came, and it was already after training camp had started a little bit — he came into Houston, and he never really did integrate himself into the Rockets’ organization.”

Scottie Pippen tried to be Michael Jordan at Houston Rockets, felt Bullard

Pippen had, by then, had played some great basketball with Michael Jordan. Although he was a great baller, most of the limelight in Chicago was hogged by Jordan.

So when Pippen moved to the Rockets, he perhaps wanted to become like what Jordan was to the Bulls. At least that is what Bullard said. The behavior from Pippen, he said, did not win his liking.

“Looking back on all the teammates I’ve had, I would say that Scottie Pippen was not one of my favorite teammates. Because when I did play with him, he wasn’t trying to be a Rocket. He was just trying to be the man, and it didn’t really work,” Bullard said.

Bullard by then was in his second stint with the Rockets. Over his career, he played 11 years for the Rockets franchise over two stints. He had started his NBA career with the Houston franchise in 1990 and played for four years. After two years away, he returned to Houston in 1996 and played till 2001.

Pippen, meanwhile, stayed only for a year in Houston. He went to Portland Trail Blazers and played for four years before ending his career with the Bulls in 2004.