“Everybody calling this guy the GOAT, and you ain’t Top 25 in scoring” - Charles Oakley on Scottie Pippen claiming he’s better than Michael Jordan
Things got ugly between two Chicago Bulls greats – Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen – in November after Pippen released his memoir, "Unguarded." In that book, there were a lot of barbs tossed at MJ from Pippen, which came as a surprise because many believed they were thick as thieves.
Pippen was the Robin to Jordan's Batman, and MJ recognizes that. Jordan dedicated his 1997 Finals MVP award to Pippen to show how much he valued him.
Michael Jordan to Scottie Pippen after the 1997 Finals: "You're my MVP" https://t.co/r39TGWLjYC
Unfortunately, it seemed like that did not mean much to Pippen after MJ released his documentary, "The Last Dance." Scottie felt he was not given enough credit for his contribution to the Bulls dynasty, and he came at Jordan hard in his book.
Pippen's outbursts have drawn reactions from several pundits and NBA players. Charles Oakley, a former teammate of Pippen and Jordan, has previously commented on the relationship between the Hall of Famers, saying he thinks it is over. However, former NBA champions Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson invited him on their show "All The Smoke" to discuss his 19-year career.
Barnes asked Oakley for his thoughts on all the negative things Pippen had to say about Jordan in the book. In response, Oakley said (from 34:20):
"Scottie probably feel like he was more to Mike than these guys. He should have gotten more action than Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr. I think Dennis got too much play and Kerr. Scottie did a lot."
When Jackson asked if Pippen was mad at Jordan about something, pointing out he once believed MJ was the greatest, Oakley said:
"I think it's something off the court.
"When everybody calling this guy the GOAT, and you ain't in the Top 25 in scoring, it's hard for you to say you better than someone. But you got opinion.
"Scottie ain't better than LeBron (James). So, my thing is, Scottie got a lot of potential type of skill level with Bron. But I don't think Scottie averaged over 20 points, maybe one time in his career.
"I like Scottie, but it's hard to say you're better than the GOAT."
Pippen will always be remembered as one of the best all-around players in NBA history. But saying he is better than Jordan is too much of a stretch.
Scottie Pippen deserves almost as much credit as Michael Jordan for helping the Chicago Bulls win six championships
Fans will continue to chant Jordan's name and praise him for leading the Bulls to two three-peats in the 1990s, and rightfully so. But Pippen's contributions are not given as much reverence, which is why he probably feels wronged.
Jordan was an outstanding two-way player, but he had the bulk of the defensive workload taken off him. Pippen was tasked with guarding the opposition's best perimeter player, making MJ not expend much energy on defense.
Although he was not a prolific scorer, Pippen averaged double-digits in all his years as a starter and was also a decent provider.
Despite his brilliance, comparing himself to Jordan could be seen as disrespectful by many. Jordan was in a league of his own. Although it would have been difficult for Jordan to win as many championships without Pippen, it would have been next to impossible for Pippen to have six rings without MJ.