“Lots of stories to be told”: Scottie Pippen hints undivulged tea on 90s Bulls amid cold war with Michael Jordan
Backed by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Chicago Bulls won their first franchise championship in 1991 against Magic Johnson’s LA Lakers. The Bulls eventually created a dynasty after ending the Lakers’ five-title run in the ‘80s. Chicago reigned atop the NBA for almost a decade following that historic championship.
Pippen, with Hidden Empire’s Deon Taylor, are linking up to make a story out of Game 5 of that series. The six-time NBA champ and the filmmaker are specifically putting the spotlight on the game ball used in the championship-clinching showdown.
Scottie Pippen had this to say about the "Game 5 Ball" project in a chat with TMZ Sports:
"We're looking to do a documentary on this basketball because we think that there's a lot of stories to be told.”
Pippen added:
"I think that ball really was a start of a dynasty and almost, I want to say, the end of a great dynasty in the Los Angeles Lakers, who we've known for many years in the '80s as 'Showtime.'"
Using the game ball as the subject of the documentary is quite interesting. It departs from the usual role players have in basketball documentaries like Michael Jordan’s “The Last Dance.” Jordan’s Bulls’ documentary concentrated on the persons involved in the team’s last reign as champions during the Pippen-Jordan era.
Scottie Pippen blasted Jordan’s 10-part docu-series in his book “Unguarded.” The legendary forward said the work “glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates.” Pippen added that he was “nothing more than a prop” in Jordan's collaborative release with ESPN.
In his work with Deon Taylor, Pippen will be concentrating on the biggest prop of any basketball game - the game ball. The relationships of the people involved in the 1991 title run will inevitably surface but “Pip” and Taylor will not emphasize that part.
Scottie Pippen told TMZ that he has kept the Game 5 ball with him for 33 years. Based on the fans' response to "The Last Dance," Pippen's work could be highly anticipated. People will be interested in the stories revolving around special memorabilia intertwined with Pippen and Jordan’s legendary careers.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen carried the Chicago Bulls to the 1991 championship
After years of brutal losses to the Detroit Pistons, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen eventually overcame the hump called the “Bad Boys.” The duo led the Chicago Bulls to the 1991 NBA Finals to face arguably the team of the ‘80s.
Magic Johnson’s “Showtime” Lakers no longer had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but they remained formidable. They promptly took Game 1 in front of a stunned crowd in Chicago.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, however, refused to be fazed by the loss and the Lakers’ aura. Phil Jackson’s key adjustment of putting Pippen on Johnson instead of Jordan turned the series around. The 6-foot-7 “Pip” had more length and size to bother the 6-foot-9 “Magic Man.”
The Chicago Bulls went on to win the next four games to win their first franchise championship. They would add titles in 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998 to become the dynastic team of the ‘90s.