Scottie Pippen calls Michael Jordan "Condescending" in QG Excerpt
It is safe to say at this point Scottie Pippen does not like Michael Jordan anymore.
In his upcoming tell-all book Unguarded, releasing on Nov. 9th, Pippen discusses The Last Dance documentary that aired during the heights of the pandemic in ’20 and why he “wasn’t too pleased” with it among other things. Before the doc aired it was previewed as a behind-the-scenes look into the final season of the infamous Bulls dynasty but was rather a look into the rise of Jordan becoming the G.O.A.T. In an excerpt gathered from GQ, Pippen made it clear that he thinks the doc went out of its way to worship His Airness while undermining the importance of his fellow teammates to the Bull’s championship runs:
Each episode was the same: Michael on a pedestal, his teammates secondary, smaller, the message no different from when he referred to us back then as his “supporting cast.” From one season to the next, we received little or no credit whenever we won but the bulk of the criticism when we lost. Michael could shoot 6 for 24 from the field, commit 5 turnovers, and he was still, in the minds of the adoring press and public, the Errorless Jordan.
Pippen has talked in the past about his lack of relationship with Jordan throughout their playing careers but more so since the release of the ESPN special. It’s clear the relationship between the two grew sour. The doc showed Pippen in a harsher light than anyone else, showing some of his worst moments like not checking into the ’94 playoff series against the Knicks and his contract disputes with former Bulls’ GM Jerry Krause. He wrote in the book, “His ‘best teammate of all time,’ he called me. He couldn’t have been more condescending if he tried.” The HOFer also wrote that he thinks Jordan's desire to “prove he's better” than Lakers F LeBron James drove his decision to produce the doc.
His and his fellow teammate’s portrayal was not the only issue Pippen took but it was the pay discrepancy between them and Jordan as well. According to Pippen, Jordan made $10M for his role in the 10-episode special, while Pippen and the other Bulls players didn't receive “a dime,” despite the fact that their personal lives were affected to get the material:
To make things worse, Michael received $10 million for his role in the doc while my teammates and I didn't earn a dime, another reminder of the pecking order from the old days. For an entire season, we allowed cameras into the sanctity of our locker rooms, our practices, our hotels, our huddles…our lives.
