Michael Jordan to Pippen: “I’m gonna kick your ass! «
While their relationship is quite confrontational these days, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen weren’t considered friends when they were playing together either. A rather crazy anecdote relates in particular His Airness had threatened his teammate, then a rookie! It started off on a good basis …
It’s hard to find a more legendary duo in the NBA than the one formed by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Together, the two wingmen have literally walked the league for a good dozen years, flaunting their talent night after night. This is also reflected in their record, the Bulls winning no less than six titles in their presence. The leader par excellence, accompanied by one of the best lieutenants in history.
However, the events since the broadcast of the documentary The Last Dance have shown it, all was not rosy between the two acolytes. Each with a huge ego, it tended to spark between them. Pippen is notably still resentful towards his former teammate, and n / A not hesitated to knock him out publicly while promoting his autobiography Unguarded. Nice, the atmosphere …
Confusion between Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan… because of a cat
However, the No. 33 was not white as snow either, his demeanor having sometimes had enough to knock MJ off his hinges. An anecdote found in the book Michael Jordan: The Life signed Roland Lazenby reflects this well. The subject ? Pip ‘, then a rookie, had missed a work-out because of the death… of his pet. The kind of excuses the rear wouldn’t accept!
“Scottie called one day and missed practice because his cat was dead,” recalls former trainer Mark Pfeil. “Horace called about fifteen minutes later and said he was with Scottie because of the grief. Johnny Bach, our assistant coach, was absolutely pissed off. He called Horace on the phone and said, “You’re coming here. You should throw the cat in the trash ”.
Horace, when the team reunited, wanted to hold a minute of silence for Scottie’s cat. These absurdities irritated Jordan. Jerry Krause recalls that practice quickly became more entertaining than games in Chicago, with Jordan crouching down and shouting regularly at Pippen, « I’m going to kick your ass! » « .
Knowing the personality of His Majesty, it is hardly surprising that he did not taste the winger’s explanations. Fortunately, the incident in question did not prevent them from enjoying immense success together, punctuated by two three-peats in the space of just 8 years. However, it showed that their relationship did not really start on the basis of a solid friendship …
Missing a workout because of a cat? Not the best way to make a good impression as a rookie… You still had to dare it, from Scottie Pippen!
