“They were too busy watching Michael” - Former 10-time All-Defensive player takes subtle dig at media for not voting him DPOY, cites their focus on Michael Jordan as reason for his snub
NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen has taken a swipe at the media for not voting for him the Defensive Player of the Year during his stint with Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls.
In an interview with 'TrashTalk Production' for the promotion of his book, 'Unguarded,' Pippen blamed the media for their singular focus on Jordan. Here's what the two-time Olympic gold medalist said when asked why he never won the DPOY, despite being one of the best defensive players of his generation:
"I think they were too busy watching Michael (Jordan)."
Pippen is widely regarded as one of the top five wing defenders the NBA has ever seen. The 56-year-old earned first-team All-Defensive player selection eight times between 1992 and 1999. He also made the All-Defensive second team in 1991 and 2000, bagging a total of 10 All-Defensive team selections during his illustrious career.
Nevertheless, Pippen was never considered good enough to win the DPOY. He had more All-Defensive team selections than his former teammates Michael Jordan (9) and Dennis Rodman (8). However, Jordan won the award in 1987, during Pippen's rookie year in the league, while Rodman won it in 1990 and 1991.
The Batman and Robin fiasco goes on for Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen 😬
Could this really be the reason why Scottie didn’t win Defensive Player of the Year? 👀 https://t.co/XS40cKQJoa
Scottie Pippen's best chance at winning DPOY as Michael Jordan's teammate came in 1995 and 1996
Scottie Pippen came closest to winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in his career while playing alongside Jordan with the Bulls. The first time was in 1995, when he finished second in the voting behind Dikembe Mutombo.
Pippen registered the most steals per game (2.9) that season. He also had 1.1 blocks per game and the best win/share rate (11.8). The then-Bulls forward only received 16 first-place points, though. He produced a beast of a season defensively that year, which is why his snub remains one of the most surprising DPOY voting results in NBA history.
Scottie Pippen bagged another second-place finish the next year. The award went to Gary Payton this time, who had 56 first-place points, compared to Pippen's 15.
Payton had the better case to win the award, though, as he also won the steals title, matching Pippen's 2.9 steals per game in the 1994-95 season. Pippen only managed 1.7 steals per game in the 1995-96 campaign.
Nevertheless, Pippen is still considered one of the best defensive players to date, without ever winning the DPOY. He earned several other accolades like seven All-Star appearances, All-Star game MVP award (1994) and seven All-NBA team selections. He also went on to become a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th-anniversary teams, along with Hall of Fame induction in 2010.
Along with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen was crucial to the Bulls' dynasty in the 1990s. Many believe Jordan wouldn't have been able to achieve what he did with Chicago without Pippen's exploits.