“I had COVID brain”—words that turned a routine Q&A into headline fodder for millions. Larsa Pippen’s off-hand remark on a podcast that sparked fresh scrutiny of a four-month fling with an NBA guard—and even drew an unfiltered jab from her Hall-of-Famer ex. Now, Pippen peels back every layer of that mall run, that text exchange, and the fallout her critics never saw coming

Larsa, who wed Scottie Pippen in 1997 and shares four children with him, filed for divorce in November 2021 (finalized in 2022). Back in 2023, the RHOM actress made headlines for dating Michael Jordan‘s son, Marcus Jordan. A move deemed precarious due to the rocky nature of Pippen and Jordan’s relationship. But before that, Larsa got into a big controversy when she dated NBA player Malik Beasley for a few months back in 2020.

On the Jason Lee Show, the host urged Larsa to talk about Beasley and also alluded that he had advised her not to date him. While Larsa admitted her mistake, she also clarified the reason behind her decision. “You did tell me that one I should have listened to,” Larsa said as she thanked him for his advice at the time. 

She also added how she had COVID brain, and Beasley’s pursuit worked on her. “It was a mistake….I had COVID brain. I had just had COVID. I was stuck in my house and hadn’t gone anywhere. And he was there and he was like on me, you know, like, let me see. Let me come see you. Let me come see you. And I thought, OK, come see me,” Larsa explained.  

But why was it controversial? As Lee stated, the two were spotted together for the first time at a shopping center in Miami. Apparently, Beasley’s ex-wife, Montana Yao, wasn’t aware of it perhaps, as she took to social media to claim that she saw the pictures for the first time and wasn’t even aware of their relationship.

Larsa, who was getting a lot of backlash for it, took to Instagram to clarify that by the time she was dating Beasley, she was in her ongoing divorce, and the NBA player and his wife were also separated. Yao later filed for divorce, along with a long message of gratitude for the fans showing her support. She shares a son with Beasley. But it didn’t end there.

Another controversy sparked when Beasly was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers and he and Scotty Jr, her son, were on the same team. Scotty Jr. now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. However, during the show, Larsa confirmed that there wasn’t an issue with that situation. “They had a conversation when they were on the same team and it was fine. It wasn’t like we had a really bad breakup or anything,” she said. But how did Scotty Jr. and Scottie Pippen react to it?

How did Scottie Pippen and Scotty Pippen Jr. react to it? 

Larsa has made clear that she and Scottie co‑parent strictly on the kids, rarely touching one another’s love lives. Many had the same curiosity about the Chicago Bulls legend’s response to her dating life. However, during an episode of The Real Housewives of Miami, the mother of four revealed the one time he did react.

In an exclusive with PEOPLE, she said, “I feel like we co‑parent—our conversations are only about our children. And so that’s kind of how it goes,”. Yet the one time the Hall‑of‑Famer did wade into her dating drama came after her four‑month fling with Malik Beasley. Following Beasley’s guilty plea on a felony threats‑of‑violence charge and subsequent 120‑day jail sentence (of which he served 78 days), Scottie texted Larsa: “Go ahead, keep talking to these losers,” even calling Beasley a “loser” in the process

This was after the RHOM actress detailed the emotional challenge she faced as she sold their longtime home. The process took place at the same time as her divorce, too. What about the kids? How did Scotty Jr. react, who was on the same team as Beasley? He took to social media to express his non-involvement in the matter.

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“Focused on myself and my goals. I’m not responsible for nobody’s actions. All good over here,” Pippen Jr. wrote on X in 2020. To date, Scotty Jr. has offered no further public comment on Larsa’s more recent relationships (including her 2025 romance with Jeff Coby), suggesting he remains true to his “all good” approach