Scottie in his book "Unguarded": MJ & I were never close friends & I was always the better teammate.

[HomoSapien]

I really dislike reading about this Pippen stuff, because frankly, it's heartbreaking. I was 12 when the Bulls won their last championship. I know it's foolish, but the kid in me likes holding on to the belief that these guys loved each other, would die on the court for one another, that they're so secure in their success that their egos as retired players is non-existent. We're the best team of all-time, we know it, doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Pippen is burning down bridges left and right and sadly it wouldn't surprise me if we never see this group together in person ever again. Really hard to imagine Phil Jackson being in the same room as Pippen. Jordan ended his friendship with Barkley for criticizing the Hornets. Think he'll forgive Pippen? The Toni Kukoc night felt rotten. Not a single one of his teammates was there. Like, really? Randy Brown was at Joakim Noah night like a day before! The whole thing is just sad.

As others have pointed out, Pippen looks like he's struggling. It's clear that the divorce, his son's death, hurt feelings from The Last Dance (I still maintain that it mostly painted him as a sympathetic character -- the disabled family, living in poverty, being so underpaid, etc.) just pushed him over the edge. Sam Smith did an interview after the comments Scottie made about Phil Jackson saying that Pip's always been this way -- that he had a habit of saying terrible things and not realizing that they were bad or a big deal. He also said that more than any athlete, people seem to overlook and forgive his mistakes.

Pippen's a great player. One of my All-Time favorites. There were certainly times I liked him more than MJ. In retrospect, Pippen's behavior has made me appreciate Jordan more. Everyone seems to agree that he was a dick, but given how Pippen is, maybe he had to be.

I watched the last dance and I'm really not sure what Pippen has a problem with.. was it the comment Jordan made about Pip being selfish for taking the surgery? That's really all I can think of that was overly negative.

Pip would have been unhappy with The Last Dance regardless of how he was portrayed. He seems like the type of guy who is just impossible to please and finds things to be slighted about even when there's nothing there. A perpetual chip on his shoulder.

I remember one of his specific complaints being that the "Mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays" was a big turning point in that series and wasn't mentioned once.

[League Circles]

I don't strongly disagree with you, but I will say why did Paxson admit then that the bulls organization did him dirty? Why did he cry on the phone? And why did Paxson reach out to Pippen only after the doc came out?

I mean literally each and every one of these things has the most obvious explanation of "John Paxson cares about Scottie Pippen and is a good guy".

If you look at these events without Pippen's bitter lens:
Paxson - Gave Pippen a 10M deal to play 23 games. At the time, Bulls fans mostly said this deal was a makeup for Pippen being treated poorly in contract negotiations in the past.

Paxson - Gave Pippen a job where he had to do nothing except show up and be friendly at a point where Pippen had money troubles and wasn't finding real work in the NBA.

Paxson - Reached out and when the doc came out because he knew Pippen would be hurt by it

Paxson - Reached out and expressed empathy towards Pippen's struggles with the org

I mean what did Scottie Pippen ever do for John Paxson? This seems like a one way friendship where time and time again Paxson did a lot of really big, important, helpful things for Pippen and Pippen somehow cast himself as a victim.

Not to split hairs, but I've never thought of the job Pippen got with the Bulls as "Ambassador" to have been one offered by, or reporting to, Paxson. You still make good points here, but I think that was JR.

[League Circles]

Honestly Pippen has never really said anything that I found endearing in any way. The one negative thing that's widely known about him from the general public is that he doesn't tip.

Americans who don't tip are straight up ****. Especially rich ones. You can take that to the bank. Despite the "overcompetitiveness" and punching a couple teammates, I always, always loved Michael Jordan. And still do. A great man IMO. And a wildly, wildly better basketball player than Pippen to boot.

[dougthonus]

I don't strongly disagree with you, but I will say why did Paxson admit then that the bulls organization did him dirty? Why did he cry on the phone? And why did Paxson reach out to Pippen only after the doc came out?

I mean literally each and every one of these things has the most obvious explanation of "John Paxson cares about Scottie Pippen and is a good guy".

If you look at these events without Pippen's bitter lens:
Paxson - Gave Pippen a 10M deal to play 23 games. At the time, Bulls fans mostly said this deal was a makeup for Pippen being treated poorly in contract negotiations in the past.

Paxson - Gave Pippen a job where he had to do nothing except show up and be friendly at a point where Pippen had money troubles and wasn't finding real work in the NBA.

Paxson - Reached out and when the doc came out because he knew Pippen would be hurt by it

Paxson - Reached out and expressed empathy towards Pippen's struggles with the org

I mean what did Scottie Pippen ever do for John Paxson? This seems like a one way friendship where time and time again Paxson did a lot of really big, important, helpful things for Pippen and Pippen somehow cast himself as a victim.

Not to split hairs, but I've never thought of the job Pippen got with the Bulls as "Ambassador" to have been one offered by, or reporting to, Paxson. You still make good points here, but I think that was JR.

Fair, reading Pippen's excerpt about it, I thought he was attributing that to Paxson because he was talking about Paxson in the previous paragraph, but that doesn't appear to be the case necessarily, and you are probably right.

[Michael Jackson]

I mean literally each and every one of these things has the most obvious explanation of "John Paxson cares about Scottie Pippen and is a good guy".

If you look at these events without Pippen's bitter lens:
Paxson - Gave Pippen a 10M deal to play 23 games. At the time, Bulls fans mostly said this deal was a makeup for Pippen being treated poorly in contract negotiations in the past.

Paxson - Gave Pippen a job where he had to do nothing except show up and be friendly at a point where Pippen had money troubles and wasn't finding real work in the NBA.

Paxson - Reached out and when the doc came out because he knew Pippen would be hurt by it

Paxson - Reached out and expressed empathy towards Pippen's struggles with the org

I mean what did Scottie Pippen ever do for John Paxson? This seems like a one way friendship where time and time again Paxson did a lot of really big, important, helpful things for Pippen and Pippen somehow cast himself as a victim.

Not to split hairs, but I've never thought of the job Pippen got with the Bulls as "Ambassador" to have been one offered by, or reporting to, Paxson. You still make good points here, but I think that was JR.

Fair, reading Pippen's excerpt about it, I thought he was attributing that to Paxson because he was talking about Paxson in the previous paragraph, but that doesn't appear to be the case necessarily, and you are probably right.

FWIW I always had the impression it was JR and his loyalty to a fault that gave Pip those positions, I’m sure Paxson was on board with them too and gave them the green light.

[kyrv]

Just read the GQ interview. Sorry if snippets were already posted:

The text was from Michael. He didn’t reach out very often.

What’s up dude? I’m getting word that you’re upset with me. Love to talk about it if you have time.

My schedule was packed that evening and I knew the conversation would take a while.

I hit him back an hour and a half later:

Let’s talk tomorrow.

Michael wasn’t the only former teammate to reach out that week. Two days later, I received a text from John Paxson, the starting point guard from our first two championships, who later became the Bulls’ general manager and then vice president of basketball operations. I heard from Paxson less often than from Michael.

Hey, Pip…its Pax.

Michael Reinsdorf [Jerry’s son, who runs the franchise] gave me your number. Just want you to know I respected everything about you as a teammate. **** narratives can be told but I rely on my real experiences. Watched you grow from a rook…to a pro. Dont let others, including the media, define you. You are successful and valued and I have always felt lucky to be your teammate.

Was receiving texts from Michael and Paxson only two days apart a coincidence? I think not.

Both were aware of how angry I was about the doc. They were checking in to make sure I wouldn’t cause any trouble: to the Bulls, who still paid Paxson as an adviser; or to Michael’s legacy, always a major concern.

Paxson and I hadn’t gotten along in years.

On May 22, 2020, the day after Paxson sent his text, the two of us spoke for a few minutes over the phone. He got right to the point:

“Pip, I hated how things turned out when you came back to Chicago. This organization has always treated you poorly, and I want you to know that I think it’s not right.”

I was glad to hear Paxson admit a wrong I had known forever. Which didn’t mean I was willing to forgive him. If that, indeed, was what he was looking for. It was too late for that.

“John,” I said, “that is all fine and dandy, but you worked in the front office for the Bulls for almost twenty years. You had a chance to change that and you didn’t.”

He began to cry. Not knowing how to respond, I waited for him to stop. Why he was crying, I couldn’t be sure, and honestly, I didn’t care.

https://www.gq.com/story/scottie-pippen-unguarded-book-excerpt

Thanks for the quotes. Making me super sad and emotional. Everybody loved MJ but I really loved and admired Scottie. He's a walking nightmare.

Oh, I do agree with him 100% in IT but the rest is, as you noted, cringe worthy. Such a bummer.

[WindyCityBorn]

Pippen was always unlikable. Just who he is. Jordan felt slighted as a way to motivate himself. Pippen felt slighted because of his inferiority complex. Players might of liked him better because he wasn't on them like Jordan. But i don't remember Pippen ever being regarded as a great leader. He was just a great player.

Jordan is not likable or particularly good person from many things I’ve read.

[DaeDae]

Honestly Pippen has never really said anything that I found endearing in any way. The one negative thing that's widely known about him from the general public is that he doesn't tip.

Americans who don't tip are straight up ****. Especially rich ones. You can take that to the bank. Despite the "overcompetitiveness" and punching a couple teammates, I always, always loved Michael Jordan. And still do. A great man IMO. And a wildly, wildly better basketball player than Pippen to boot.

I forgot about "No tippin, pippen".

[ChettheJet]

I think Scottie got his nose out of joint because the Bulls honored Toni Kukoc and kept showing that game winner against the Knicks when Pippen refused to go back in the game.

[dougthonus]

I think Scottie got his nose out of joint because the Bulls honored Toni Kukoc and kept showing that game winner against the Knicks when Pippen refused to go back in the game.

That probably pissed him off to some degree, but all of these comments were prior to this happening.

[Southpaw]

Scottie is tarnishing his legacy bit by bit with all the PR stunts and attention grabs.

" the death of his oldest son I'm sure is weighing on him heavily. He seems deeply unhappy and in need of help."

didn't know about this however, must be difficult.

This! It seems like every time he talks, he just ruins his legacy even more.

[RSP83]

Not sure why he's doing all this. Drama sells, I'm thinking if he's doing all this just to sell books hoping to make some money. I think it was reported that he's broke and I think he's also desperate. Being a fan it's sad to see all this.

Off the court, I think Scottie is an MJ wannabe. But failed badly, for obvious reason. Scottie Pippen is a great basketball player, not a billion dollar businessman. Man, I really wish I never read or heard about Scottie's off-court life. So clichè.

[mj234eva]

He's bogus for putting that Pax part in there. With the crying stuff, and his reaction to it.

[Ctownbulls]

Pippen needs money - end of story.

[HomoSapien]

Watch on YouTube

[otwok]

Yea, anyone who remembers anything from the 90s knew pippen and Jordan weren't close. There was respect and knowing that they needed each other to win.

But Pippen right now is bitter. He's always been unsettled. But, he also isn't wrong in that Jordan wasnt a good guy. But Jordan's personality is in part what made him so good at basketball

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[dice]

Pippen is saying/writing controversial things for attention. He knows that the media will talk about him but honestly at this point people are going to start tuning him out because the things he says are ridiculous. He’s ruining his legacy with the way he’s acting.

One thing I'll add is that if these are the most controversial things in the book, then he isn't really saying anything meaningful at all. I mean typically the leaks now would be the most damning things, and this is all pretty soft stuff.

To say he and Jordan weren't best friends? We all know that. To say he was a better teammate? His teammates would all likely agree. To say he made Jordan? Stupid, but I would guess in the context it will talk about he improved Jordan's game by defending him in practice every day and while I don't think it made Jordan a star, it certainly didn't hurt Jordan to get to sharpen his sword against one of the best defenders in history on a daily basis.

pippen obviously didn't make MJ a superstar. but did his assistance push MJ into GOAT territory? yeah, probably

[dice]

Artist Gilmore introducing Kukoc was a but of a red flag for me in Pip. I know most recently he publically embarrassed the Bulls with his comments during all star weekend. I think it the Bulls would still have reached out to Pip for that ceremony however.

Just hope he's able to get through. I agree fully that he seems unwell.

Gilmore introducing Kukoc was really sad. Here's a guy who didn't even play with Toni and wouldn't have any close connection.

It sort of makes sense:
- Jordan owns another team and while there's nothing preventing, you understand why he wouldn't.
- Pippen seems completely unhinged and was just separated from the team (I suspect due to his own poor behavior)
- Rodman seems completely unhinged all the time

Still, would have been nice if they could have waited until the Warriors game and gotten Kerr to do it or tried to contact Phil Jackson and see if they could fly him in to do it.

Going to the Utah game I was wondering who would be there. You see who came out for Noah (actually even Toni himself sort of) and I was thinking who would show up. Jordan showed up for the HOF induction and I get why he wasn't there but was kind of hoping he would be. After Pippen called Jackson racist for drawing up a play for Toni, I think we all knew it wouldn't be Scottie. Gilmore was likely the best choice I guess all considered. I mean Pete Meyers could have done it but no one remembers Pete. PJ and Rodman are a no go. Ron Harper? As mentioned that Thibs team though was much closer. In a strange way it might have been more interesting if Noah introduced Toni as his first role as ambassador. The highest level of greatness always has a sacrifice and we see what it is with the Dynasty teams for sure. If we didn't know at the time, I think it is very clear in retrospect that 98 was truly the last dance. Phil was not wrong.

in an alternate reality pip could have done wonders for his public image by speaking briefly at toni's ceremony and saying "i hope this makes up for the 1.8 seconds." but that would've required him not making his comments in the last dance...and a lot of other stuff not to have been said before and since

[dougthonus]

in an alternate reality pip could have done wonders for his public image by speaking briefly at toni's ceremony and saying "i hope this makes up for the 1.8 seconds." but that would've required him not making his comments in the last dance...and a lot of other stuff not to have been said before and since

Either Pippen doesn't care about his image (or at least has deprioritized it for money), or Pippen is really poor at understanding how to improve it. Maybe a bit of both.

[Jcool0]

Pippen was always unlikable. Just who he is. Jordan felt slighted as a way to motivate himself. Pippen felt slighted because of his inferiority complex. Players might of liked him better because he wasn't on them like Jordan. But i don't remember Pippen ever being regarded as a great leader. He was just a great player.

Jordan is not likable or particularly good person from many things I’ve read.

Seems like an okay guy to me:

https://www.nba.com/news/jordan-jordan-brand-announced-100-million-donation