NBA legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen won six titles together for the Chicago Bulls. The two Hall of Famers are considered one of the best duos ever. After struggling to win a ring for years, Jordan found some help in the form of Pippen. While some fans claim MJ would have achieved nothing without his former teammate, others diminish the contribution of Pippen. Regardless, both legends certainly helped each other on the court. Recently, a two-time NBA champion revealed his regret of not playing with Jordan and expressed his jealousy for Pippen.

The arrival of Pippen also marked the arrival of legendary head coach Phil Jackson as an assistant coach for the Bulls in 1987. This fortified the Bulls who went on to become a dynasty in the years that followed.

Rockets legend regrets not playing alongside Michael Jordan

Houston Rockets legend Kenny Smith recently released a memoir “Talk of Champions”. In one chapter of the book, The Jet reportedly opened up about his jealousy of Scottie Pippen because he missed out on being a teammate of Michael Jordan. According to a report from WBUR, he wrote, “I was jealous of Scottie Pippen. All through our playing days, and even today?I?m still jealous of Scottie Pippen.”

Notably, Smith played alongside Jordan during their time together at the University of North Carolina. He recounted that he was poised to be picked by the Bulls. However, he revealed his meeting with the front office didn’t go as planned. He noted that he was asked how he would handle when Jordan screams, does not pass the ball, etc. Smith thought the question was silly because he wondered why would anyone have a problem learning from the superstar.

Furthermore, he was confident he could hold his own. He noted, “He wouldn?t do that to me,” I said. “Because he knows I can play.”?Apparently, it was not the right answer as the Bulls drafted Scottie Pippen as the 5th pick and Smith went to the Sacramento Kings next.

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Smith shared his regret, “In that moment and for many years after, I couldn?t shake the feeling that Michael would have helped me become a perennial All-Star, even a Hall of Famer. His competitiveness would have taken me to another level.”

Even though he had won two rings during his playing career, Smith believes he would have been a Hall of Famer had he played with Jordan.

Kenny Smith’s massive claim

Kenny Smith and the Rockets won two titles in a row in 1994 and 1995.

Notably, after winning three-straight rings, Michael Jordan missed the 1994 season playing baseball. Also, he came back very late in the 1995 season and was eliminated in the playoffs.

While many argue that the Rockets would not have won had MJ played, Smith recently claimed his team would have beaten the Bulls. He maintained that the Bulls were “too small” for the Rockets. To be fair, his side did boast the towering figure of Hakeem Olajuwon.

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