Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen is opening up old wounds via his new book.
He accused Michael Jordan of giving the green light to The Last Dance to remind the younger generation of sports fans of who he was.
Pippen is correct because the ten-part documentary was predominantly about the current Charlotte Hornets owner.
They even failed to include Luc Longley, so ABC Australia produced an independent documentary about the starting center during the second Bulls three-peat.
Scottie … thank youhttps://t.co/YITDt1J2s2 pic.twitter.com/GRsWoeosbX
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) November 2, 2021
Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, and Steve Kerr had limited appearances throughout the episodes.
What’s more frustrating is that Jordan earned $10 million for participating in the production.
But there’s nothing new about that goal because, for Jordan, it is always about him.
What matters to him is to keep on winning, and his competitive drive does not have an off switch.
History Favors The Victor
Winners dominate the history books, and they can dictate how to develop the narrative.
Jordan is one of the most outstanding winners in the NBA, and the documentary wouldn’t be possible if not for his go signal.
However, giving him editorial control over what came out is yielding too much power, which Pippen did not like.
To him, Jordan overshadowed the romantic story of a team that won six championships in the 1990s.
Even without the documentary, Jordan gets the most recognition even if Pippen was the only player with him throughout all the title runs.
Therefore, Pippen deserves some high regard, but Jordan sees that as competition even if it has been two decades since their final championship.
Chemistry Does Not Equate To Friendship
There’s no doubt that the 90s Bulls were a thing of beauty to watch.
Everyone knew their role, and Phil Jackson did a great job making them play together and, more importantly, managing their egos.
A year after Jordan’s premature retirement, the Bulls won their fourth title in six years after a then-record 72 regular-season victories.
But while they were nearly perfect on the basketball floor, there was always tension among them.
Scottie Pippen is a bit upset after watching Michael Jordan's 'The Last Dance,' but let's not forget he's an all-time great himself ?
– 6x NBA Champ
– 10x All-Defense
– 7x All-NBA
– 7x All-Star
-Hall of FamerPut some respect on @ScottiePippen's name pic.twitter.com/8kOOWKxEkR
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) November 2, 2021
Jordan never became friends with his teammates because winning is what’s important.
He could not care less about developing relationships as long as they won games.
That’s why he would criticize teammates who made mistakes at practices and in games.
Weirdly, that tense atmosphere elevated their game as a unit that they never lost an NBA Finals appearance.
Scottie Pippen should thank his lucky stars every night that he got to play with The Greatest Player Ever In Any Sport. Without Michael Jordan, Pippen would've been just another pretty good player nobody really cares about. He's STILL riding Jordan's coattails.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 3, 2021
But even if they ended up playing a decade together, Pippen and Jordan were never close buddies.
Go back to the documentary to recall how Jordan called out Pippen when he delayed surgery on his ankle.
For Jordan, the team mattered more, and the delay was a disrespect to what they were trying to accomplish.
Meanwhile, Pippen held out, hoping that the Bulls would give him a bigger contract money-wise.
"Scottie Pippen should be ashamed of himself. … Do I need to remind anybody of who the hell Michael Jordan was before Scottie Pippen ever arrived?!"@stephenasmith did NOT hold back ? pic.twitter.com/BCVYXD2zrP
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 3, 2021
It’s a travesty that Jordan’s best teammate earned just around $15 million during their six championship years.
In contrast, Jordan had $33 million during the 1997-98 season alone.
More recently, Pippen appeared on The Dan Patrick Show and shared that he found Jordan’s transition to baseball selfish.
Beyond Repair
There’s nothing new with Pippen’s grievances because those were never addressed over the years.
The documentary did not help bring closure because, for both men, there’s no need for it.
Scottie Pippen on Michael Jordan and THE LAST DANCE
Excerpt from UNGUARDED: https://t.co/cv3FVuqUBx pic.twitter.com/W2TG15vh1z
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 2, 2021
But maybe for Pippen, his book is how he finds peace with what happened because he gets to share his side of the story.
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