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Did Scottie Pippen Term Michael Jordan as a “Horrible Player”? Debunking the Fractured Friendship 30 Days Before Forced Reunion

Published 12/14/2023, 5:30 AM EST

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January 12 at the United Center will be a sight to behold. The Chicago Bulls have announced the ‘Ring of Honor’, and Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen will be forced to face each other, while their relationship is hanging by a thread. Pippen has called out Jordan on several occasions in the last few years. However, the peak was when Pippen called Jordan a “horrible player”.

After all this chaos over the years, fans are now eager to see an awkward face-off between the two legends. Why did Pippen have to call his best teammate and arguably the basketball GOAT a horrible player? The 6x champion has his reasons, however, it was delivered in a very harsh tone.

Ring of Honor or Clash of the Legends? 

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Ever since the release of the ‘Last Dance’, Michael Jordan was removed from the good books of a few Bulls legends. One of them was Scottie Pippen, who didn’t like the way he was portrayed in the series. Well, it has been three years now, but the beef between the two has not come to an end yet. 

On a podcast episode a few months back, Pippen was questioned to choose between LeBron James and Jordan. As a teammate of the latter, Pippen not only decided to choose the NBA scoring leader but also shared some harsh words to dethrone Jordan. 

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He shared, “LeBron will be the greatest statistical guy to ever play the game… Our game is a team game and one player can’t do it. Like I seen Michael Jordan play before I came to play with the Bulls. You guys seen him play. He’s a horrible player. He was horrible to play with.

Watch this story: “Steve Kerr reiterates 2 reasons for Warriors shambolic loss vs Thunder”

Pippen did not stop here but he also explained why Jordan was horrible to play with. The 7-time All-Star shared, “He was all one-on-one. He’s shooting bad shots, and all of a sudden we become a team and we start winning. Everybody forgot who he was”. 

Well, now you know how intense the ‘Ring of Honor’ on January 12 is going to be! But what led to this much hate?

Scottie Pippen talked about his portrayal in the ‘Last Dance’ which triggered him the most

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The ‘Last Dance’ was all about Michael Jordan. Although there were a few portions that covered his teammates, Pippen felt it was not enough. In fact, the 58-year-old stated he felt like, “nothing more than a prop” in the critically acclaimed series. Things got heated when Pippen got to know Jordan was paid for his appearance in the ‘Last Dance’.

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While the 5x MVP got a reported $10 million for his role in the series, the rest of his teammates who starred in it did not get a single penny. In addition to all of the above altercations, Pippen’s ex-wife Larsa has been dating Jordan’s son Marcus for almost a year now. Their relationship is so serious that Marcus has even spoken about having his father as his best man for their rumored wedding.

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It’s safe to say that, the friendship between the two is far from repair. What are your thoughts on the above story? Share your take in the comments below.  

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Written by:

Rohan Dharmalingam

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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth