IN ESPN’S The Last Dance, Michael Jordan
referred to Scottie Pippen as his “best
teammate of all time.” How did that go over
with Pippen? “He couldn’t have been more
condescending if he tried,” the Hall of Famer writes in
his new book, Unguarded. If this seems like an answer
to the megahit documentary, that’s because it is, and
Pippen wastes no time making that clear.
Pippen argues in the prologue that Jordan used his
editorial control of the doc to make it all but a vanity
project. For instance, Pippen notes, the film ignores the
Bulls’ late comeback in the clincher of the 1992 Finals,
most of which came with Jordan, who had been having
an off night, on the bench. “It wouldn’t have enhanced
Michael’s legacy to show his ‘supporting cast’ being the
difference in a game of such magnitude,” he writes.
Pippen’s open bristling at being remembered as
the Robin to Jordan’s Batman is the most compelling
plotline of Unguarded, but His Airness wasn’t the onlyBulls figure Pippen clashed with. His relationship
with Phil Jackson deteriorated after the coach called
for Toni Kukoˇc to take the final shot in a playoff game
against the Knicks in 1994. Instead of inbounding the
ball, Pippen refused to leave the bench. His explanation
now is a bit wishy-washy; he says he feels horrible, not
for sitting out but because he lost his teammates’ trust—
which he wouldn’t have lost had he played. This summer
Pippen publicly claimed Jackson’s decision was driven
by racism. He walks it back in what had to be a late edit,
writing, “I allowed myself to believe that lie for nearly
thirty years. Only when I saw my words in print did it
dawn on me how wrong I was.”
Pippen has a few more beefs to recount, but the book
doesn’t reek of pettiness. Instead, it’s an interesting
insight into what it’s like to play alongside a star who
can’t be outshone, even when he’s gone. “The Last Dance
was Michael’s chance to tell his story,” Pippen writes.
“This is mine.” —Mark BechtelAFTER ESPN’S MJ-CENTRIC DOC, HIS FORMER
TEAMMATE (NOT SIDEKICK!) RESPONDSDANCE REDUX
READDECEMBER 2021 17GAMEPLAN: THE SMART FAN’S GUIDE TO RIGHT NOW
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