"Never step on someone to prove a point that no one cares about": Michael Jordan's ex-teammate goes no-holds-barred on Scottie Pippen's major claim
These days, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are better known for their fractured relationship rather than their accomplishments together on the court. The rift between these Chicago Bulls icons has drawn strong opinions from fans, analysts and even their former teammates.
On Monday, former Bulls guard Ron Harper weighed in on a comment made by Pippen on Friday's episode of the "PBD Podcast." When a netizen brought up Pippen's claim that he'd still have won six NBA titles without Jordan, Harper—who won a three-peat with both Chicago greats from 1996 to 1998—had this to say:
"Never step on someone to prove a point that no one cares about…," Harper wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
For the past few months, Harper has shown plenty of support for Jordan online. In August, when one online user pointed out how his stats dipped after he began playing with Jordan in the mid-90s, Harper dismissed the opinion as an ignorant take. Three months later, the former combo guard shared a clip of Jordan talking about fellow all-time greats.
"You can only compare with the players that you play against learn something young kids stay humble," Harper wrote with the post.
It's worth noting, however, that Harper has not said much about the Jordan-Pippen beef that has been simmering. Since the Netflix documentary "The Last Dance" came out in 2020, Pippen has been vocal about how the docuseries' narrative focused too much on Jordan.
Though Pippen had some more positive things to say about "The Last Dance" at a New York event in November, he can't exactly undo all the verbal shots he's taken at Jordan over the past four years. Harper, it turned out, couldn't let Pippen's latest take on Jordan get away unscathed.
Ron Harper on LeBron James recently breaking a Michael Jordan record: "Who really cares?"
A few weeks before his Pippen-related comment, Harper gave his honest take on a feat accomplished by LeBron James.
On Jan. 3, the official X account of ESPN's "SportsCenter" posted a clip of James breaking MJ's record for most 30-point games in NBA history. While the post was meant to celebrate LBJ's longevity and prolific scoring, Harper offered an indifferent response.
"Who really cares?" Harper wrote.
The Jordan-LeBron debate, of course, is a different online discussion altogether. For his part, Harper has made it clear where he stands in that GOAT discourse.