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Scottie Pippen recently released his book "Unguarded," and to many's surprise, he took a lot of shots at Michael Jordan. Although he applauded his former teammate's brilliance on the court, he did not hold his tongue when bashing MJ in his book and during interviews.
For players who enjoyed a successful run with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, it is surprising to see their relationship strained. People believe Pippen's outrage was born out of his representation in Jordan's Netflix documentary, "The Last Dance," and he needed to say his piece.
Fans continuously trolled Pippen for speaking badly about MJ, but that did not stop him. With no reply coming from MJ, many are wondering if they still talk.
The Ringer owner Bill Simmons invited their former teammate Charles Oakley to pick his brain on the Pippen-Jordan relationship. He gave some insight as to what might have been the cause of the rift.
"I think he (Scottie Pippen) feels like they didn't present him more in 'The Last Dance,''" Oakley said. "I think they did Dennis Rodman more than Scottie and Steve Kerr. But my thing to that is that Kerr did way more off the court than Scottie. Dennis probably has, too.
"But on the court, Scottie did more than both of them. But Scottie felt like he was left out of there. And he felt like Michael wouldn't have six rings if it wasn't for him."
After revealing a chat he had with MJ, during which the Bulls legend talked about why he would rather play with Pippen than Magic Johnson, Oakley said what he believed Jordan would do regarding the Pippen saga:
"He's not gonna say nothing back in the press, none of that, try to go back at Scottie. He's gonna keep doing what he's doing, play golf, fish, relax and smoke cigars."
When Simmons asked if Jordan and Pippen still talk, Oakley said:
"No. No, I think it's over. Yeah, I think it's over. It wasn't great from the get-go."
Pippen has obviously said some damning things that will be difficult to come back from. And from Oakley's point of view, there might be no relationship left to salvage.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen won six NBA championships in eight years
Regardless of all that might have transpired off the court, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were arguably the best 1-2 punch in NBA history. Their partnership on the hardwood was surreal and keyed the Chicago Bulls' dominance in the 1990s.
It has always been said that Jordan might not have won titles without Pippen, and the same could have been said for MJ's Robin. Jordan always acknowledged Pippen's contributions and dedicated his 1997 Finals MVP award to him.
Jordan and Pippen completed two three-peats, winning three titles in a row from 1991-93 and again in 1996-98. Although Jordan did a lot of the scoring, Pippen made sure to restrict the opposition from scoring and knock down his shots when an opportunity presented itself.
Although things might not have turned out great for the duo after their careers, their achievements are exemplary.
