The Milwaukee Bucks are leaving more than a few people wincing at their defense. Charles Barkley too. Amidst this, however, he somehow made Scottie Pippen a joke. It was actually Ernie Johnson who brought him up during Chuck’s take. And the biggest rival of the MJ-Pip duo that he was, Barkley ended that digression in one sentence.

During Inside the NBA halftime show of the Bucks vs Spurs game, Sir Charles said Milwaukee doesn’t have a “defensive identity” while heavily reliant on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. “They’re like, ‘let’s just go play basketball.’ But they don’t have the intensity on the defensive end.” 

To that, Ernie remarked, “Wasn’t that an old Chicago Bulls rule… Michael and Scottie…” Barkley casually went nuclear in his response. “Scottie wasn’t the same ’cause he wasn’t a great offensive player.” He added a ‘no disrespect’ later but that statement is out there.

Despite the apprehensions about the Bucks’ defensive strategy, Barkley’s and everyone’s fears were for naught. They triumphed 125-121 with the Greek Freak leading with 44 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist. Barkley believes Wemby and the Spurs did their best to target the holes in the Bucks’ defense but it’s not possible to take on the offensive combination of Giannis and Dame. That’s where Barkley believes Pippen was not comparable as an offensive player to these two.

After his time with the Bulls, Pippen was Barkley’s teammate in the Houston Rockets. According to a 1999 report, Pippen himself was frustrated with his diminished offensive ability after six championships. It had become a strategy to pass the ball to Barkley or Hakeem Olajuwon instead of him.

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Barkley was still impressed by the intensity Antetokounmpo and Wembanyama presented in the matchup, regardless of his overall opinions. Pippen, though, has not been afforded that grace.

Charles Barkley is Scottie Pippen’s first critic

In the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen feud that ensued after The Last Dance, Barkley has not been positive about the way Pippen handled the situation. He was the harshest when Pippen released his memoir, Unguarded in which he accused Jordan of being a bad teammate.

Barkley said, “Some of the stuff he said about Michael was really not cool at all.” He implied that Pippen exaggerated the situation with MJ to sell the book. “That little worth of money ain’t worth for me burning down the whole house.”

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According to several reports, neither NBA legends have spoken to each other for a long time. So Pippen’s probably taking Chuck’s comments with a grain of salt.