While Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan have been at odds for some time now, the duo was dominating the league back in the day. After winning their sixth championship together, the Chicago Bulls disbanded the entire team as Michael Jordan retired again. The Bulls have never been the same since as they continue to struggle to reach the heights of that legendary roster. While MJ retired, the others continued to look for opportunities to add to their trophy collection, specifically Scottie Pippen.

The rebuilding Bulls traded Pippen to the Houston Rockets in January 1999. While the move created a lot of buzz around the league, it eventually ended up being a major disappointment for everyone involved. 

Scottie Pippen on his regret of not listening to Michael Jordan

In a throwback interview, Scottie Pippen revealed regretting the decision of not listening to Michael Jordan. Jordan had advised Pippen not to team up with Charles Barkley in Houston.

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Yet Pippen did not listen to Jordan and went ahead to join the Rockets anyway. In the interview, Pippen said, “I probably should have listened to Michael a year ago when he said that Charles never will win a championship because he doesn’t show any dedication.”

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The six-time NBA champion quickly made his exit from the team and went on to play four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. Pippen eventually came back to the Chicago Bulls as well for his last season in the league, but only played a total of 23 games, out of which, he started just six.

What went wrong with the Houston Rockets?

The Houston Rockets team had some big names on their roster. They had Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and the latest addition, Scottie Pippen on the roster. Yet, the team did not find success.

The Rockets failed to make a big splash in the playoffs, not because of the lack of talent but because of the deteriorating relationship between Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley during their time together.

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Not to mention, all three legends were way past their primes when they teamed up in 1999. The Rockets faced a first-round exit in the Western Conference playoffs at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Scottie Pippen had signed a major five-year, $67 million contract with the Rockets. However, the seven-time All-Star’s feelings toward Charles Barkley and their lack of chemistry led to an extremely disappointing season.