Iván Holguín López / @ivan_basketball
Throughout the history of the NBA, few pairs have managed to surpass the level and titles that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen won together. Both players were considered and still are, as one of the best couples in the history of the league, managing to win 6 championships in the 90’s with the Chicago Bulls.
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The titles won, plus their good chemistry on the court seemed to indicate that outside of it the relationship between the two was also very good, but no. Over the years and the retirement of both players, many problems have come to light, mainly on the side of Pippen, who on several occasions has sought to reveal or present Jordan in a facet that was not well known.
His most recent public escrache came through a third party, writer Melissa Isaacson, author of the book ‘Transition Game’, who revealed a forceful line from Pippen. It turns out that when Jordan decided to retire from basketball (for the first time) in 1993, Pippen, who was looking for recognition from others and to be known as the new leader of the team, would have said to Jordan on the day of his retirement: “Michael, I love you, but I’m glad to see you go.”
Pippen was keen to carve out his territory as a new star, and so when the Chicago Bulls played their first preseason game without Jordan, Pippen decided to pull out a “His Majesty” jersey and tell the media a line that would go down in history. : “Here, does anyone want to dry their tears?”
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This phrase, exposed by the writer Melissa Isaacson, does nothing more than frame the supposed professional zeal that Scottie Pippen maintained over Michael Jordan, during all their years as teammates. Something that has also been evidenced recently, especially with the comments after the premiere and broadcast of the series ‘The Last Dance’, which narrates the last campaign of Jordan in the Chicago Bulls.
“The last two episodes, like the previous eight, glorified Michael Jordan without giving me or my teammates much credit. Michael deserves most of the blame for that. The producers gave him editorial control over the product final. The documentary could not be otherwise. He was the leader and the director, “explained, at the time, Pippen.
“Michael was determined to prove to the current generation of fans that he was the greatest during his time, even greater than LeBron James, the player many consider his equal, if not his superior. That’s why Michael told his story. and not the ‘Last Dance,'” Scottie recounted.
For his part, Michael Jordan has always refused to speak publicly about who was his loyal squire in those Chicago Bulls.