When Scottie Pippen went OFF on Charles Barkley, calling him a "fat butt" for disrespecting his career choice
Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley spent one season together as teammates on the Houston Rockets. The following offseason, the six-time NBA champion shared that he would be open to being traded, citing his teammate's lack of dedication, stating:
"I probably should've listened to Michael Jordan a year ago when he said that Charles will never win a championship because he doesn't show any dedication. He's a very selfish guy. He doesn't show the desire to want to win. That's my reason for wanting to get away from playing with him - because he doesn't show the dedication."
Pippen shared that he would not apologize to his teammates, adding:
"I wouldn't give Charles Barkley an apology at gunpoint. He can never expect an apology from me. If anything, he owes me an apology for coming to play with his fat butt. I was very shocked to see what type of player he was by spending half a season with him... There's no reason for me to put my last three or four years at risk of never winning."
Pippen added that while Barkley is a great player, he is not a good leader. He claimed that the 1992-1993 NBA MVP is not a professional and expressed a desire to play for former head coach Phil Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers. While he noted that he was not demanding a trade, he would ultimately be sent to the Portland Trail Blazers just days after his comments about Barkley.
Charles Barkley had expressed disappointment in Scottie Pippen's desire to leave the Houston Rockets
Charles Barkley reportedly accepted a pay cut so the Houston Rockets could add Scottie Pippen to a roster that already featured Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon. In their lone season as teammates, the trio led the Rockets to a 31-19 record in the lockout-shortened 1998-1999 season, however, they were eliminated in the first round of the postseason.
Following the season, Pippen shared that he would welcome a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, angering Barkley, who stated:
"For him to want to leave after one year, it disappointed me greatly. The Rockets went out of their way to get Scottie and the fans have treated him well so I was just disappointed in him."
Charles Barkley played in just 20 games in the 1999-2000 season before retiring. Scottie Pippen spent the following four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, reaching the Western Conference Finals once. He returned to the Chicago Bulls for one final season before calling it a career following the 2003-2004 season.