There has been animosity between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for a long time now. Although their relationship has soured as years passed by, Michael Jordan applauded the virtues of Scottie Pippen, acknowledging that Pippen was an essential component that he made a comeback in the NBA after a brief hiatus in the early ’90s.
Their comradery had since been in ruins as a result of Pippen’s contemptuousness on the “The Last Dance” documentary and the launch of Pippen’s autobiography, “Unguarded.”
The two-time Olympic gold medalist eventually let off steam in Unguarded, delivering incisive and unreserved criticism of Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman, and other athletes. Pippen described how sickening he felt on realizing people thought of him as Jordan’s sidekick.
Initially, the Bulls’ had a perception that Scottie wouldn’t have stayed that long carrying the team without Michael. However, Scottie invalidated the Bulls’ misapprehension that he couldn’t be at the helm of the team in the absence of Jordan during the 1993–94 season. He scored an average of 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounding points, and 2.9 assists in that season, earning a spot on the All-NBA First Team and making it to third position in the MVP race.
“A lot of people doubted Scottie Pippen for a long period, and you know, he’s become like a little brother to me. I am very happy that he has come back today and answered a lot of critics. And to see him grow so much in the last eight years, it’s truly a blessing for the city of Chicago,” Jordan said. (h/t via SI)
Currently, the two former Chicago Bulls icons are in an untenable circumstance. There’s also tension between them because of the disclosure of an affair between his former spouse Larsa Pippen and Michael Jordan’s son Marcus Jordan.
Scottie Pippen got the last laugh amid Michael Jordan feud
It’s no secret that Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan had a tumultuous relationship, even though they are probably the most influential basketball duo to ever grace a court. While the fact that their animosity off the court is quite popular, things took a surprising trajectory when Marcus, Michael’s son, started dating Pippen’s ex-wife.
Following her contentious dating history, Larsa Pippen has kept on garnering media attention in recent years. Fans’ comments poured in when they uncovered she was seeing the son of her ex-husband’s arch nemesis. The matter progressed to the point where they were spotted and heckled at a baseball match, where a fan cracked quips and threw off comments about the ‘friendship’ they had.
#RHOM star @LarsaPippen opens up about her friendship with Marcus Jordan. #WWHL pic.twitter.com/YUfXxSKIfC
— WWHL (@BravoWWHL) December 13, 2022
Larsa discussed the circumstance when appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in December, with Marcus watching from the assembled audience. When questioned, she responded that she “didn’t know” her ex-husband’s opinion of the current scenario. She claimed that the former couple never talked about anything when probed further.
The Jordan family and the Pippen family had no role behind the scenes, she said, despite being aware that people are quite curious about the new relationship. Jordan and Scottie had a lot of success playing basketball together, but their families didn’t get along very well.
