Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are undoubtedly one of the greatest duos of all time in the NBA. Everyone who was involved with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s witnessed Scottie’s high praise for Jordan. In fact, Jordan has said many times that without Pip, he would not have won six NBA championships. However, speaking of Mike, he was famous even before Scottie made his NBA debut. But one might wonder if Pippen would have become such a great player without Michael Jordan. At least Xavier McDaniel believed in Pip’s personal abilities.
On “No Bullshit on TV,” Xavier faced the toughest question of all, “If Michael was pushing Scottie on the Bulls, or would he still be able to excel as an individual player without Michael as a teammate?” He said:”“I think he’s going to be great because after Michael left, he still performed well… I think he’s going to be a great player.”. However, Xavier McDaniel also mentioned that the NBA is about confrontation. He believes the matchup between Scotty and Michael, as far as pairings go, works really well.
advertise
Article continues below this ad
It’s worth noting that Pip spent most of his NBA career with Michael Jordan. He entered the Bulls at a stage when they were looking to rebuild their franchise. Although Michael Jordan has made an impact in the NBA in his first three seasons, he lacks certain support. This can be seen from the team’s performance in addition to Jordan’s personal performance. The addition of Scottie Pippen is the first step in solving this problem. With so much support, the two created a history of six championships for the Bulls.
Although the team asked Pip to provide Mike with in-game support, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a player in a personal sense. The fact that Scotty has his own accomplishments speaks volumes.
Scottie Pippen no Michael Jordan?
advertise
Article continues below this ad
A guy who holds his own defensively during the game will be the first answer to this question. While Mike was an offensive force, Pippen was known for his defensive abilities. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team for ten consecutive years. The six-time NBA champion also led the league in steals with 234 during the 1994-95 season.
It is worth mentioning that in the 1990s, Scottie played for the Bulls for one season without Jordan, and he averaged the highest points per game in one season. It was the 1993-94 season, and Mike retired for the first time since his father left. Pippen averaged 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists this season.
Get the hottest notifications instantly NBA Stories from Google!Click to follow us and click Blue stars.
follow us
It’s also important to emphasize that Pip had already earned quite a reputation in the college basketball world before entering the NBA. In fact, that’s what prompted the Bulls front office to bring him on board. Scottie averaged 23.6 points, 10 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a senior.
advertise
Article continues below this ad
So while it’s impossible to say for certain what Scottie Pippen’s career would have been like without Michael Jordan, his individual excellence in the game cannot be ignored. What’s your take on the whole issue? What would have happened if Jordan and Pippa weren’t on the same team as the Bulls? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Michael Jordan feels ‘betrayed’ by Scottie Pippen after father’s tragedy: ‘I hope it was worth it’ for him