11-05-2025
"Their egos are huge, and I don't bow down to people like that" - Pippen says he'll never be able to forgive Jordan and Jackson
Against popular demand, Scottie Pippen still held grudges from his time in Chicago.
Decades removed from the dynasty era, long after six championship banners had been raised to the rafters of the United Center and long after the hardwood dust settled on the Bulls' reign, Pip's memories carried more pain than pride.
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While the rest of the world romanticized the 1990s Bulls as basketball royalty, the six-time NBA champion often found himself biting his tongue — or, in recent years, doing the exact opposite. And at the core of his lingering discontent stood two figures: Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson.
Huge ego in Chicago
While Jordan bathed in endless praise and Jackson carved out a mythical coaching resume, Pippen wrestled with the shadows of being second best. Or worse, forgotten.
"You've been around Michael, you've been around Phil — their egos are huge, and I don't bow down to people like that," Pippen said.
To most, the trio defined greatness. However, Pippen's version of the story never quite matched the glossy documentary treatment. He was the silent force, the versatile glue, the defensive backbone who often felt like the odd man out, not on the court, but in the legacy conversation.
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Those egos, as the Arkansas native described them, were barriers. Barriers that, in his eyes, blocked any real camaraderie from forming. During their dynasty run from 1991 to 1998, the Bulls operated like a machine — efficient, precise, and dominant. But within that machine, Pippen wasn't just another gear.
He never got along with coach Jackson. That infamous 1994 playoff incident, when Pip refused to enter the game after "Zen Master" drew up the final play for Toni Kukoc, remains a touchpoint for understanding the fracture. The fallout revealed how deeply Pippen felt overlooked.
Many years after their retirement, "The Last Dance" documentary, which revisited those years through Jordan's lens, only served to deepen old wounds. Scottie would later call the series "more about glorifying" his former teammate than truly telling the full story, and many close to him say he felt betrayed by its portrayal.
Related: Ray Allen talks about the issue of shooting too many 3-pointers, using the Boston Celtics as an example: "They gotta figure getting some easy buckets"
From loyalty to disillusionment
Jackson's rise from an obscure coaching background to the zenith of NBA greatness was meteoric. But for Pippen, Jackson's path to the top was paved in part by others' sacrifices — his own included.
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"Phil Jackson, coming from being a CBA coach, Jerry Krause gave him a chance that he had never or probably would have never received," Pippen said. "And then he turned and s— on the guy pretty much. If anybody had a reason to be mad at Krause, it was me. It wasn't Phil Jackson."
The seven-time NBA All-Star had long taken issue with Jerry Krause, the Bulls' controversial general manager, particularly after he pursued Kukoc while Scottie was underpaid and unappreciated. But in Pippen's eyes, Jackson had no such grounds for bitterness.
He had been handed a franchise ripe with talent, nurtured under Doug Collins, and then vaulted into the spotlight by Krause's belief in him. And yet, Jackson still became one of Krause's harshest critics.
The 6'8" forward felt that his loyalty to the franchise, to the grind, to the silent work of defense and facilitation — seemed undervalued. He played through back pain, delayed surgeries to accommodate team needs, and often filled the gaps when Jordan retired or when internal rifts cracked the team's unity.
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In 1997-98, while making just $2.7 million, a fraction of what his counterparts earned, Pippen carried the weight of dysfunction. He demanded a trade early that season, felt shut out from decisions, and carried the burden of being underpaid and expected to lead.
When it all ended and Jackson, Jordan, and even Dennis Rodman walked into the sunset with cemented legacies, Pippen's exit felt more like an afterthought.
As a Hall of Famer, he remains one of the most versatile players in NBA history. He finished his career with over 18,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists — one of only five players to ever do so. He was a 10-time All-Defensive selection, a seven-time All-Star, and one of the few players who could guard all five positions in his era. But accolades, in his case, never seemed to erase the pain of exclusion.
Related: "You guys don't know what it takes to win!" - Michael Jordan's furious locker room rant after the Bulls loss to the Hawks in the playoffs
