Scottie Pippen Says Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance” Compliment Still Resonates
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More than three years after the release of ESPN’s documentary series “The Last Dance,” Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen says a single remark from Michael Jordan remains especially meaningful.
In the 2020 series that chronicled the Chicago Bulls’ 1990s dominance, Jordan publicly credited his longtime teammate while discussing the franchise’s six championships.
“Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen,” Jordan said in the film. “Everybody says, ‘Well, I won all these championships,’ but I didn’t win without Scottie Pippen.”
Pippen, now 58, revisited that moment in his memoir, writing that he “deeply appreciated” Jordan’s words as well as the outpouring of support he received from friends, former teammates and fans during the spring of 2020.
Not Close Off the Court
Despite their on-court success, Pippen noted that he and Jordan have never been personally close. “Michael and I aren’t close and never have been,” he wrote, describing the two as “very different people who have led two very different lives.”
The distance off the court did not diminish their partnership on it. From 1991 to 1998, the Bulls captured six NBA titles and never lost in the Finals, cementing one of the league’s greatest dynasties. Jordan has often called Pippen the best teammate he ever had and credits him with helping transform Chicago into a perennial champion.
Forever Linked
Pippen acknowledged that their shared accomplishments will always bind them. “The two of us will forever be linked together,” he wrote. “He helped make my dreams come true, as I helped make his.”
More than 25 years after their final championship, that bond—and Jordan’s public acknowledgment of it—continues to carry weight for Pippen.
Source: Hoops Wire
