Scottie Pippenโs war against former Chicago Bulls teammate and NBA legend Michael Jordan doesnโt appear to be slowing down anytime soon, with the former now claiming the latter has forever โruinedโ basketball in his newly-released memoir Unguarded.
The ongoing beef kicked off shortly after ESPNโs The Last Dance was dropped. Suffice it to say, Scottie Pippen wasnโt cool with being portrayed as โnothing more than a propโ throughout the beloved docuseries. The long-standing pay disparity wound โ which stemmed all the way back from his days on the court โ was also salted after it was revealed MJ cashed upwards of $10 million for the global streaming hit while no one else earned a single red dime.
โIn the doc, Michael attempted to justify the occasions in which he berated a teammate in front of the group,โ writes Scottie Pippen.
โHe felt these guys needed to develop the toughest to get past the NBAโs more physical teams. Seeing again how poorly Michael treated his teammates, I cringed, as I did back then. Michael was wrong. We didnโt win six championships because he got on guys. We won in spite of his getting on guys.โ
RELATED: WATCH โ Every Time Michael Jordan Took It Personal In 4 Minutes
โI was a much better teammate than Michael ever was. Ask anyone who played with the two of us. I was always there with a pat on the back or an encouraging word, especially after he put someone down for one reason or another. I helped the others to believe in and stop doubting themselves.โ
The incendiary excerpt surrounding how Michael Jordan ruined the game of basketball can be read in full below:
โI may go as far to say Mike ruined basketball. In the 80s on the playgrounds, youโd have everyone moving the ball around โ passing to help the team. That stopped in the 90s. Kids wanted to be 'Like Mike.โ Well, Mike didnโt want to pass โ didnโt want to rebound, or defend the best player. He wanted everything done for him. Thatโs why I always believed LeBron James was the greatest player this game has ever seen โ he does everything and embodies what the game is truly about.โ
RELATED: Weโve All Been Ignoring One Major Flaw About ESPNโs โThe Last Danceโ
It is worth noting, however, that while Pippen has dubbed LeBron James the GOAT on this particular occasion, it contradicts the six-time NBA championโs previous statements โ asserting Kobe Bryant is the GOAT, in addition to the fact he did not believe James to be on the same level as either Bryant or Jordan.
โScottieโs just trying to sell books,โ said Charles Barkley in a recent interview on The Dan Patrick Show, in direct reference to everything weโre experiencing from Pippen of late.
โI donโt think heโs worried about relationships down the line, friendships down the line. I think heโs just trying to sell books.โ
Whatever the case, the old bull is charging.
