It is no secret that the relationship between NBA legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen is not the same anymore. Even though they have had their differences during their playing career, things were quiet. However, things blew up after the release of The Last Dance docuseries. Then there is the controversy around Pippen’s ex-wife Larsa dating Jordan’s son Marcus. While things looked a bit calmed down, Pippen recently claimed MJ was “horrible” before his arrival. Now, a former NFL star has given his take on the comment.
Pippen was not happy with the way he and his other teammates were portrayed in the show and he was vocal about it as well. He also talked about it in his book Unguarded which was released in 2021.
Former NFL player’s take on Scottie Pippen’s comments about Michael Jordan
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Scottie Pippen was recently asked who is the GOAT of the NBA. The six-time NBA champion replied that LeBron James is the greatest ever to play in terms of statistics. It is no surprise given James’ all-around style and the all-time records he holds. However, he noted that he doesn’t believe there is a “GOAT” because basketball is a team game. To make his point that one player can’t do it all, Pippen talked about Michael Jordan. The Hall of Famer claimed Jordan was a “horrible player” until he joined the Chicago Bulls. He added the Bulls became a team and started winning and everyone forgot how bad the five-time NBA MVP was.
#Bulls Scottie Pippen: “LeBron James will be the greatest statistical [player] to ever play the game of basketball. [Michael Jordan] was a horrible player.” pic.twitter.com/j3bQ8rWcte
— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@DieHardCBfans) May 26, 2023
This was met with a major backlash from the fans. Now, former NFL player Marcellus Wiley gave his opinion about Pippen’s comments during one of his podcasts. Wiley talked about Jordan’s performance in the three years prior to the arrival of Pippen. He noted people were already considering MJ as one of the most dominant ever because averaged a whopping 37.1 points in his third season.
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Talking about Pippen’s comments, Wiley said, “So he knows he is not the best player on the team. Scottie Pippen’s issue is not that. His issue is that the gap is too damn wide between Michael Jordan and his individual greatness and all the love he gets for the Bulls’ success and what Scottie Pippen gets for the same impact on the Bulls’ success. He can just sit back in his quiet time and say, ‘Without me what did you win?’ Where Jordan can’t say, ‘I won without you.'”
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Furthermore, the former defensive end added that Pippen’s argument is that both he and Jordan did not win a title without the other and so he wants to “close the gap”. He also said that the 7-time NBA All-Star is not appreciated enough and claimed Pippen feels not respected enough by the fans and Jordan.
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