Scottie Pippen continued his feud with former teammate Michael Jordan. The former Chicago Bulls forward called the legendary guard a “horrible player” early in his career.
“I’ve seen Michael Jordan play before I came to the Bulls. You guys have seen him play. He was a horrible player,” Pippen said Friday on the “Gimme the Hot Sauce” podcast. “He was horrible to play with. It was all one-on-one, shooting bad shots.”
Pippen said Jordan’s game changed and improved after he arrived in 1987. The Bulls acquired Pippen in a trade that sent Olden Polynice and the No. 8 pick to the Seattle Supersonics – who used the No. 5 to select Pippen – on draft day during the 1987 NBA draft.
The Bulls won six NBA titles – three consecutive championships from 1991-93 and three straight from 1996-98 – with Jordan and Pippen leading the way.
“All of a sudden, we become a team and we start winning,” Pippen said on the “Gimme the Hot Sauce” podcast. “Everybody forgot who he was. He was a player who was really not at the top of his category.”
Pippen’s “horrible player’ take doesn’t stand up against Jordan’s numbers.
Jordan averaged a career-high 37.1 points per game the year before Pippen joined the team. He averaged 31.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists during the three seasons before the Pippen joined the Bulls. Jordan’s number are impressive, regardless of the criteria.
Pippen added another shot at his former teammate by saying LeBron James has had a better statistical career than any player, including Jordan.
“LeBron will be the greatest statistical guy to ever play the game of basketball. And there’s no comparison to him.” Pippen said on the “Gimme the Hot Sauce” podcast. “None.”
Pippen’s assessment of Jordan does contain some truths. Jordan was a high-volume shooter who was a ball-hog early in his career. Jordan was also a very petty and vindictive player who constantly criticized his teammates throughout his career.
Pippen has said he wasn’t thrilled with how his image was portrayed in “The Last Dance” film, and he still seems salty.
