Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball of all-time. That said, he needed a great team around him in order to win six championships for the Chicago Bulls. When trailers first appeared for "The Last Dance" documentary by ESPN, many hoped it would finally be a close-up for so many of the other players and coaches who contributed to one of the greatest dynasties in professional sports history. Including Scottie Pippen.
As it turns out, that isn't the case. More than a few players from those days believe it wasn't a showcase of the team but merely a showcase of Jordan. Something meant to elevate his status as the greatest of all-time. Two of the producers involved in the entire documentary are connected to him personally. Already Horace Grant has spoken out publicly against him, believing he was portrayed as an afterthought and the guy who snitched to beat writer Sam Smith for his infamous "Jordan Rules" book.
According to David Kaplan of ESPN though, Pippen has an ax grind as well. While talking about it on Kap & Company, it was revealed that the Hall of Famer is less than thrilled with his former teammate over how the documentary was put together.
"What I was told yesterday? He is so angry at Michael and how he was portrayed. Called "selfish," called this, called that. He's furious that he participated and didn't realize what he was getting himself into...
..Prior to the last seven minutes of the documentary on Sunday night in episode 10? All it was the migraines, the surgery, Michael calling him selfish, the contract. He said everything you showed about him basically was negative and he is beyond livid."
Scottie Pippen didn't come off looking great for sure
It's not hard to see why Pippen might feel a little betrayed. While Jordan came off smelling like roses, a guy who was ranked among the 25 best NBA players in history was portrayed as a selfish, injury-prone, non-clutch player. His migraines in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals, the decision to sit in protest against the Knicks because he wouldn't be given the last shot, getting surgery later than the team had asked which caused him to miss more of the 1997-98 season than seemed necessary, and his missed free throws against Indiana.
All of it overshadows how vital he was to Jordan's career. There is no way M.J. wins six championships without Pippen. Does he even win half that? It's a fair question. So it's not hard to understand why he'd be upset. Whether this does irreparable harm to their relationship? That is hard to say. Hopefully not but grudges have been held for less.
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