“I think Mike couldn’t have won without Scottie” - Charles Oakley on the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen relationship
Former Chicago Bulls superstars Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen's bad blood has led to former New York Knicks enforcer Charles Oakley having a say.
On Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast, Oakley spoke about MJ and Pippen's time as teammates. Oakley said:
"I think in the ESPN Documentary ('The) Last Dance' I talked about this, but Jerry Krause – I think I give him a lot of credit because he drafted me being biased – but I think he did a lot of work to put that team together but for Mike and Scottie.
"I think it's something else besides 'The Last Dance,' because they didn't give them a lot of headlines like they did Dennis Rodman or (Steve) Kerr, but I think Mike couldn't have won without Scottie. He has said that many times, but I think Scottie, whatever you say, you gotta live with it."
Oakley continued:
"You know, in sports, there's a lot of guys who play together for a lot of years. They don't play for the friendship. They play to win the championship and love of the game. So we seen this playing out a lot of way that Magic, Kareem, maybe Shaq and Kobe and a few other guys.
"Yeah, they didn't get along, but they played together, they won championships together."
Oakley was Jordan's teammate for three years after being drafted by Chicago in 1985 but was eventually traded to the New York Knicks for center Bill Cartwright in 1988. Pippen came to the Bulls as a rookie in 1987.
Scottie Pippen-Michael Jordan relationship
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are considered by many to be the greatest duo in the history of the game. They have won six championships together, and neither won without the other on their team.
They formed an incredible duo that dominated the game on both ends of the floor for a long time. They posted an unblemished 6-0 record in the NBA Finals without a single finals series going the distance.
At least one of Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen was a All-NBA 1st Team member every season from 1986-87 to "The Last Dance" in 97-98.
Those 12 seasons is the 2nd-longest streak of a team having a All-NBA 1st Team member. The Lakers (16 from 58-59 to 73-74) had a longer streak. https://t.co/1vd7MGiTyc
However, after "The Last Dance" came out during the COVID-19 pandemic, the relationship between the two seems to have broken down. The bond between the duo supposedly turned sour when "The Last Dance" portrayed Pippen in a bad light.
Pippen complained about not being covered enough in the docuseries as he felt he was featured in a less prominent fashion than Steve Kerr and Dennis Rodman. Pippen felt he wasn't respected enough, despite everything in the docuseries being factual.
🗓 This Day in Stats, 1991: Michael Jordan scored 30 and @ScottiePippen added 32 as the @chicagobulls beat the Lakers in Game 5 to win their first NBA championship. https://t.co/W4ppO2Ssvo
Soon after, Pippen released a book that conveyed his perspective on things that took place in the 1990s with the Bulls. He essentially called coach Phil Jackson a racist and lambasted MJ.
The duo have been in contact since their retirement. Jordan presented Pippen at his Hall of Fame induction in 2010, and Pippen was part of the ceremony during Jordan's induction the year before. It is disheartening to see two incredible players and their relationship turn so sour after everything they accomplished together.