The Last Dance highlighted how crucial Scottie Pippen was to the Chicago Bulls’ success. But it also highlighted how he was not only underappreciated (by fans) but also underpaid.

During a recent interview, The Guardian’s Andrew Anthony asked Pippen if it was difficult to see him being underpaid compared to his teammates.

Pippen replied, “I think at the time there were moments when it was upsetting, but also there was so much joy that rose among the pain that I was feeling. There was too much to celebrate and enjoy to be thinking about the negative side of it.”

During his first stint with the Bulls, he earned just over $20 million in 11 seasons. Despite being one of the best players of his era, he played on such a bad contract.

Nonetheless, Pippen did his best for the Bulls as he helped them to 6 NBA titles, which came from 2 three-peats.

Scottie Pippen ended up earning more than Michael Jordan

Similar to Pippen, Michael Jordan was also underpaid for most of his time with the Bulls. Prior to the 1996/97 season, Jordan had never been the highest-paid player of the league, despite being the best player. He earned around $30 million in 12 seasons until 1996/97 when he finally got his payday.

The Bulls gave Jordan a 2-year deal worth over $60 million, finally giving him what he deserved. On the other hand, when Jordan became the highest paid in the league, Pippen was the 122nd on that list.

So why did Pippen take all these deals? The biggest reason was to provide for his family. He grew up with a disabled father, and 11 siblings to provide for. So he took on long-term deals that paid less since he was more worried about financial security.

The other reason was that there were no contractual rules about minimums and maximums, so the Bulls could pay whatever they wanted.

But after Pippen left the Bulls, he ended up making over $75 million from his contracts with the Blazers and the Rockets. He also received a 2-year $10 million deal to finish his career in Chicago, which took his career earnings to around $109 million. Comparatively, Jordan made just $93 million.

So Pippen got the payday he deserved in the end, even though the Bulls never gave him what he warranted.

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