Pippen also revealed that thee pair were never good friends, even as teammates.
Scottie Pippen has once again taken aim at Michael Jordan, describing the NBA legend as a “horrible player” before the Chicago Bulls molded him into a key piece of their championship-winning team.
The 59-year-old Pippen, who played an instrumental role alongside Jordan in securing six NBA titles during the Bulls’ dominant runs from 1991-1993 and 1996-1998, shed light on their relationship, revealing that they were never truly close friends.
While both players have previously acknowledged each other’s pivotal contributions to the team’s success and the creation of one of the NBA’s most iconic dynasties of the 1990s, Pippen’s remarks highlight lingering tensions between the two legendary teammates.
Scottie’s Comments
In 1999, a year after Michael Jordan’s second retirement, Scottie Pippen admitted he missed his legendary teammate. Jordan later returned the sentiment during his Hall of Fame induction, crediting Pippen as a key figure in his success.
Despite their mutual respect in the past, their relationship took a sharp downturn following the release of The Last Dance documentary in May 2020. Since then, the former Chicago Bulls stars have struggled to reconcile, with their dynamic now resembling the famously strained relationship between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
Pippen has expressed dissatisfaction with the way the documentary portrayed the Bulls’ dynasty, accusing Jordan of making himself appear better at the expense of the rest of the team, who were shown as little more than a supporting cast. Recently, Pippen intensified his criticism by labeling Jordan a “horrible player” during an appearance on the Gimme the Hot Sauce podcast.
“Our game is a team game, and one player can’t do it,” Pippen said, reflecting on Jordan’s early years with the Bulls. “I’ve seen Michael Jordan play before I came to play with the Bulls. You guys have seen him play. He was a horrible player. He was horrible to play with. It was all 1-on-1, shooting bad shots. And all of a sudden, we become a team, and we start winning. Everybody forgot who he was.”
Pippen: “We were never great friends”
Scottie Pippen has previously opened up about his relationship with Michael Jordan, revealing that their on-court partnership wasn’t as close as many fans believed. While there was mutual respect during their pursuit of NBA championships, Pippen admitted in 2021 that their bond didn’t extend much beyond their shared success on the hardwood.
Fast forward to January 2025, and it’s clear that little has changed. Pippen doubled down on his past sentiments, describing Jordan as a “difficult person” during an appearance on the PBD Podcast.
“Michael is a very difficult person to deal with,” Pippen stated. “Great teammate, but we just never were great friends.”
These comments further highlight the enduring distance between two of the NBA’s most iconic players, despite their undeniable chemistry on the court that led to six championship titles with the Chicago Bulls.
