Best teammate on the court to now being mere acquaintances. That’s how far the relationship between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen has changed. The drama between them was at its peak as Pip slammed the docuseries ‘The Last Dance’, dropped his own tour of the ‘No Bull’ with other players like Horace Grant and Luc Longley. The tension between the two never truly stopped, as Pip continued to unravel his real relationship with MJ over the years. It seems now he wants nothing to do with it.

The 6x NBA champion was in Spain last month as the Inclusive All-Star Ambassador for the Fundación Sanitas. He sat down with Daniel Arribas and spoke to EL PAÍS before conducting the honorary tipoff for the game. There were obviously questions about MJ, but it’s not what you think. Arribas asked, “On a scale from one to 10, how tired are you of talking about Michael Jordan?” Before answering, Pip needed some clarity.

“Oh, [smiles]. Is 10 the highest or lowest score?” In these types of questions, 10 is the highest number. But Scottie Pippen’s answer revealed his genuine emotions. “Well, I’d probably say a 12.” Upon hearing this, the natural question would arise: why is the number more than 1o, which the interviewer asked. “Yeah, definitely, more than 10. At the end of the day, I’ve been used to it since the day I arrived in the NBA.” The narrative can also sum this up: Scottie Pippen was the Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman.

Media coverage overwhelmingly centered on Jordan as the singular driving force behind the dynasty. This created a “hero’s journey” narrative that portrayed Jordan as the unbeatable alpha, while Pippen was frequently cast as the reliable but secondary “Robin” or “glue guy.”

Articles from outlets during their dynasties highlighted Jordan’s scoring exploits, clutch performances, and competitive fire, with Pippen’s elite two-way play, such as his All-Defensive First Team selections every year from 1992–99, All-NBA honors, and his role in the triangle offense, receiving far less emphasis.

This bias stemmed from Jordan’s global marketing appeal (via Nike and NBA promotions), his pre-existing stardom, and the league’s push to make him the face of basketball amid its rising popularity.

The result was a skewed storytelling that minimized the Bulls’ team dynamic, implying Jordan’s individual brilliance alone carried the franchise, while downplaying Pippen’s contributions as mere support.

Media often framed the Bulls’ success as Jordan’s redemption arc, especially after early playoff failures against the “Bad Boys” Pistons (1988–90). Pippen’s growth from a raw rookie (drafted in 1987) into a top-5 player was acknowledged but rarely headlined. 1990s articles rarely led with Pippen; he was the “What If?” guy.

Pieces speculated on the Bulls without Jordan, but always circled back to how irreplaceable he was. This created a feedback loop: Jordan’s Nike-fueled fame drew more cameras, leading to more Jordan stories.

Pippen was the “ultimate No. 2,” a phrase in multiple reports, praised for defense/playmaking but critiqued for not being a “pure scorer” like Jordan. His 1994 MVP runner-up finish got brief mentions, but headlines screamed “Jordan’s Shadow Looms Large.” Clearly, the proof was in the pudding for tensions to escalate.

That’s why Pip is tired of talking about only MJ and wants people to focus on his legacy instead. “It’s not something that surprises me: everything has always been about Michael Jordan. But, you know, I’m happy to have been able to leave my own legacy and not have to talk about him all the time.” This was why the beef began during the Netflix docuseries ‘The Last Dance.’

In reply, the 7x All-Star released his memoir ‘Unguarded’, “nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates.” But did you know they never had a personal relationship, even during their time together as teammates?

Scottie Pippen on his real relationship with his best teammate, Michael Jordan

Playing 859 games together, winning 6 championships, and never having a meal together. That’s the shocking part of their relationship, which Pippen had revealed previously.  “It was never a very close relationship. But when we played, we had great chemistry. That’s the way this business is.” This was during his recent interview with Marca. Even when building a dynasty on the hardwood, their relationship off the court was strictly professional.

In another interview, Pippen explained how he would visit Michael Jordan’s house only to practice. “I guess the last three championships that we won, we trained together at his house, but other than that, we didn’t really put a lot of time in away from basketball. Most of our time was spent whether we were working out or on the practice floor,” the Chicago Bulls legend once said.

Pippen called Jordan his worst and best teammate because they couldn’t develop a strong relationship off the court. Plus, the Netflix docuseries led to more distance as Pip voiced his opinion against it.