Pippen isn’t holding back — he says the GOAT debate is flawed and calls out the media for making MJ the face of greatness.
Scottie Pippen is back in the headlines — and once again, it’s because he’s taking direct aim at his former teammate Michael Jordan.
During a recent appearance, the six-time NBA champion tore apart the idea that basketball has a single greatest player of all time. And yes, that includes Jordan.
“There is not a greatest player,” Pippen said. “I’m gonna put myself in there if you’re gonna call out a greatest player. What makes Michael Jordan great? Because he had the media-gained MVPs.”
Pippen Calls Out Media Bias
Pippen didn’t just stop at Jordan.
He pointed to players like Nikola Jokic, who led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA title and posted some of the highest efficiency ratings in league history — yet was snubbed from the All-NBA First Team the same year.
“Jokic is great and they didn’t even put him on the motherf**ing team. I don’t understand what people say makes other people great.”*
For Pippen, greatness isn’t just about rings, media hype, or MVP trophies. It’s about real impact — something he feels the system too often overlooks.
Rethinking Greatness
Pippen also shouted out players like:
- Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion whose dominance is often forgotten
- Julius Erving, who redefined how forwards play the game
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time MVP and six-time champion who still gets left out of modern GOAT conversations
And when it comes to LeBron James?
“James is probably one of the greatest winners that ever played the game. He wins. He ain’t won that many championships, but he’s been in the Finals… does that make him the greatest player ever to play the game? No.”
No Surprises Here
Pippen’s rocky relationship with Jordan has been well documented over the years.
He’s called MJ a “horrible player” before their Bulls dynasty took shape, criticized The Last Dance documentary for glorifying Jordan over the team, and made it clear they were good teammates but never close friends.
These new comments are just the latest reminder that Pip has his own definition of greatness — and it doesn’t involve bowing to the media’s version of history.
