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Scottie Pippen Says Michael Jordan 'Ruined Basketball'

Scottie Pippen Says Michael Jordan 'Ruined Basketball'

"In the 80s on the playgrounds, you'd have everyone moving the ball around — passing to help the team. That stopped in the 90s."

Max Sherry

Max Sherry

Scottie Pippen has gone swinging into Michael Jordan, claiming his former Chicago Bulls teammate "ruined basketball".

Ever since the release of Jordan's The Last Dance documentary, the relationship between the two NBA legends has been rather frosty.

Pippen clearly wasn't happy with the way he was portrayed in the Netflix series and has taken every opportunity since to slate MJ and the show's producers.

PA

So with Pippen's autobiography now hitting the shelves, there's a feeling he could unearth yet more dirty laundry about Jordan

Excerpts of the book have been doing the rounds ahead of its release and they give an indication of just how disgruntled Pippen is with his former Bulls colleague.

"I may go as far to say Mike ruined basketball," he wrote.

"In the 80s on the playgrounds, you'd have everyone moving the ball around - passing to help the team. That stopped in the 90s.

"Kids wanted to be 'Like Mike.' Well, Mike didn't want to pass - didn't want to rebound, or defend the best player. He wanted everything done for him.

"That's why I always believed LeBron James was the greatest player this game has ever seen - he does everything and embodies what the game is truly about."

PA

Throughout the series, Jordan openly describes Pippen as his "best teammate of all time" - a comment which clearly doesn't sit well with the man himself.

Watching the series, you could perhaps tell that Pippen wasn't overjoyed with playing second fiddle MJ, yet he still did it for the sake of the team.

"That's what was special about playing for the Bulls: the camaraderie we established with one another, not that we felt blessed to be on the same team with the immortal Michael Jordan," he wrote.

"I 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."

When it comes to the GOAT debate, there's only one winner in Pippen's eyes.

"Michael was determined to prove to the current generation of fans that he was larger-than-life during his day - and still larger than LeBron James, the player many consider his equal, if not superior," Pippen told GQ.

"They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates. Even in the second episode, which focused for a while on my difficult upbringing and unlikely path to the NBA, the narrative returned to MJ and his determination to win. I was nothing more than a prop. His 'best teammate of all time,' he called me. He couldn't have been more condescending if he tried."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Basketball, NBA, Michael Jordan, Australia