"It was an adjustment for him to change his style of play" - Scottie Pippen divulges how Michael Jordan had to adjust his game after the former's arrival in Chicago
Former Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen recently spoke about his time with Michael Jordan for the highly-successful Chicago Bulls. With his new book titled "Unguarded" recently being launched, the topic of conversation in the basketball world has been nothing but the comments of Michael Jordan's former teammate on His Airness himself.
Speaking to Trevor Noah on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Pippen was asked about how he handled Michael Jordan's ego while continuing to play with him, he said:
"Well, it was an adjustment. When I came into the Chicago Bulls organization, Michael had been with the organization for three seasons, three losing seasons."
Pippen continued:
"So, it was an adjustment for him to change his style of play and how he played the game and it was, I guess, up to me to sort of pick up areas where I felt like I can be a good fit for the team, you know, to get us to a position where we could be successful but also opening up as a player where I could show my talent and my greatness on the floor as well".
Are Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen the greatest duo in the history of the NBA?
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are undoubtedly the greatest duo in the history of the game. When Pippen was drafted as the fifth overall pick by the Seattle Supersonics in the 1987 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls assembled a trade in exchange for their eighth pick (Olden Polynice) and future draft options.
Michael Jordan was already wreaking havoc in the league during this. However, Jordan did not have much luck in the playoffs until Pippen arrived.
Scottie Pippen says he was never close with Michael Jordan and rips him for being selfish
“You want to know what selfish is? Selfish is retiring right before the start of training camp when it is too late for the organization to sign free agents”
(Via Unguarded | h/t NY Times) https://t.co/1di2vGfAtL
The duo were the only constants along with coach Phil Jackson, as the Chicago Bulls won six championships in 1990s. Pippen for his career averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists and 6.4 rebounds while shooting better than 47% from the field.
Meanwhile, Michael Jordan averaged a whopping 30.1 points, along with 5.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds while shooting higher than 49% from the field. Famously labeled "Batman and Robin," the duo were the poster boys for the NBA in the 1990s.
Scottie Pippen says Michael Jordan was ‘determined’ to prove he was still larger than LeBron James by releasing ‘The Last Dance’: lakersdaily.com/scottie-pippen…
After winning the sixth championship together in 1998, Michael Jordan retired for the second time while Scottie Pippen moved to the Houston Rockets in a trade that saw the Bulls receive Roy Rogers and a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft (Jake Voskuhl).
With Pippen coming out with a lot of criticism of Michael Jordan, what can never be tarnished is the legacy that both these players shared on the court together.
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