NBA all-time great Michael Jordan is arguably the best player ever. He won six rings and five MVP awards over the course of his career. However, he did not do it alone. He certainly had a great supporting cast, and fellow NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is arguably one of his most important teammates. Pippen was the perfect Robin to MJ’s Batman.

There are some who argue Jordan could have never achieved so much if it wasn’t for Pippen. Another NBA legend, Karl Malone once stated he would take Pippen over MJ. Malone and the Utah Jazz had lost two straight NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls in 1997 and 1998, which notably completed the Bulls’ second three-peat.

In the late 90s, the Utah Jazz had a great team led by superstars Malone and John Stockton. Unfortunately, it was during the time of Michael Jordan and the Bulls’ dominance. After his first retirement, MJ made a comeback in 1995 and lost to the Orlando Magic in the playoffs. But he dominated the league in his first full season after coming back.

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The Chicago Bulls went on to set the 72-10 regular season record and then won the title. The Bulls completed their second three-peat after beating the Jazz in the Finals for two straight years.

Karl Malone picks Pippen over Michael Jordan on his team

Karl Malone once dialed in on?‘The Dan Patrick Show’ where he discussed various things including the 1992 Dream Team. During the show, the host, Dan Patrick asked Malone who he would pick from the Dream Team to play with him other than his former teammate John Stockton. And Malone first picked, Scottie Pippen. Patrick could not believe Malone picked Pippen over Michael Jordan.

Patrick asked, “Are you crazy?”?Malone replied calmly, “No I’m Karl, and I’m not crazy.”

He added, “I watched Scottie Pippen when the Chicago Bulls wasn’t really good and Scottie led that team in every statistical category. And I just remember that, and plus he’s a guy that can care less about scoring, he wanna stop the best player on the other team.”

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Interestingly, he then picked Hall of Famer Magic Johnson next. However, Malone was just picking up a team that he would like to play in.

After Jordan’s first retirement, the Bulls did have a decent regular season with a record of 55-27 and clinched a playoff spot. Pippen led the team in points, assists, and steals per game, however, his numbers did not drastically increase from his previous seasons. But he did not need MJ to do what he usually does best as well.

And then in the playoffs, the Bulls eventually lost to the New York Knicks in the second round.

What do you think of Karl Malone’s comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.