Scottie Pippen was an integral part of the Chicago Bulls side which dominated the 90s. They won 6 NBA championships including 2 three-peats. The name which gets all the credits when talking about the Bulls’ dominance is that of Michael Jordan. Hence, Scottie Pippen has called him out for stealing the limelight in interviews and most recently in his memoir, ‘Unguarded’.

Reactions from former teammates on Scottie’s allegations have been mixed. While some came out and defended Pippen, some have accused Scottie Pippen of being the bad teammate. A Bulls insider gave his thoughts on the situation.

Bulls insider defends the Jordan allegations

Sam Smith, the person who covered Pippen’s career at Bulls, had a lot to say regarding the situation. According to Smith, “He wanted to be accepted and part of Jordan’s orbit, and I think that stemmed from, as a lot of it does, from where it came from. … He always really hungered for it, but Michael, being the shark he was, he would recognize that. He was so aware of people wanting to do that.”

Sam Smith added, “And then he would belittle Pippen when he was trying to be considered an equal, and then Pippen would go sort of crawling back to Horace Grant and the guys because he wasn’t accepted like he wanted to be.”

These are some very bold accusations coming in from the former Bulls writer. He further adds to Pippen’s allegations about Michael Jordan being a bad teammate.

Not only Jordan, but coach Phil Jackson has also been part of accusations by Scottie.

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Michael Jordan vs Scottie Pippen stats

Jordan is considered one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Pippen, on the other hand, is a legend in his own right. His defensive skills were admired by one and all as he made it to the All-Defensive Team 10 times.

Both of them have 6 championships won with the same team; the Chicago Bulls. Jordan averages 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Pippen averages 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

Although Michael Jordan wins the battle of stats by a mile, Scottie Pippen’s contribution cannot be belittled. When Jordan retired briefly following the Bulls’ championship winning 1992-93 season, Pippen carried the Bulls alone.

He averaged 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists while shooting at an incredible 49.1 percent from the floor. This performance alone was enough to give Scottie Pippen the respect he deserves.

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