Scottie Pippen, a former Chicago Bulls star, was not pleased with how things were presented in “The Last Dance,” and he continues to fight what he views misleading myths surrounding the ’90s Bulls. This trend resumed on Friday, when Pippen called former teammate Michael Jordan a “horrible player.”
There is no term in English to describe a take with this much fire. Pippen made such remarks while speaking on the “Gimme the hot sauce!” podcast, which also includes Stacey King, a former teammate who now broadcasts Bulls games.
When questioned about the best player of all time, Pippen responded that he sees basketball as a team sport. Pippen ultimately concentrated on Jordan after discussing a number of guys.
Let us begin with the obvious. It’s difficult to claim that Jordan was a “horrible player” at any time in his career based on his stats. Jordan averaged 31.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in three seasons before to being picked by Pippen. It’s ridiculous to use the term “horrible” there.
The remainder of Pippen’s takedown, on the other hand, may be true. Being a “horrible player” and being “horrible to play with” are not the same thing. The year before Pippen joined the Bulls, Jordan averaged a career-high 37.1 points per game. Jordan very likely passed up several open teammates in order to score more points. That may have irritated teammates.
Jordan’s game did alter once Pippen came, to Pippen’s point. Jordan averaged 6.2 assists and a higher shooting % during the following six seasons. That might indicate Jordan started to trust his teammates more and stopped pushing terrible shots.
That all looks realistic if you’ve seen “The Last Dance.” As much as the series acknowledged Jordan’s achievements, it also highlighted some of his flaws. He made fun of coworkers, was spiteful, and took things personally. Those aren’t the finest characteristics to have in a team sport.
Nonetheless, Pippen continues to go too far. Pippen’s statements are likely to include kernels of truth. However, if you start with an outrageous claim that Jordan is a “horrible player,” people will shut out any genuine critique that follows.
More in Sports: https://buzzing.today/sports/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/