As tumultuous as it could be, the relationship between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen is still fascinating, almost 20 years after their retirement. In this context, the “lieutenant” n ° 1 of His Airness revealed behind the scenes of his first meeting with him, and the image he returned to him.
During the first years of their collaboration, everything seemed to be going well. Three seasons after his arrival in the league from Chicago in 1987, Michael Jordan saw a certain Scottie Pippen land in the franchise, fresh from his university studies in Central Arkansas. Four years later, the two won the first of their six titles won together.
But this common hegemony was not necessarily synonymous with an irreproachable understanding between them. The ego struggle that could oppose them, for example, pushed Pippen to rejoice over Jordan’s departure in 1993. It continued on the following campaigns, and almost caused a monster implosion in the mythical locker room of the Bulls.
This war has even spread to our time, with a Pip ‘regularly vindictive to its former leader. The dissemination and artistic direction of The Last Dance had notably crystallized his resentment. During an interview granted in April 2020 to Joe Vardon and The Athletic, however, he had been able to lift the veil on his relationship with him… during their first meeting.
Michael was a little distant. He was more… He was competitive. That was kind of all that motivated him at that time. I remember hearing Michael say, “Well, we got another one of those kids from Arkansas” when I was drafted. In fact, the Bulls had drafted a year earlier Pete Myers, who was a kid from Arkansas, or rather from the University of Arkansas. He was actually from Mobile, Alabama. That’s about all I remember.
The legendary number 33 of Chi-Town does not therefore have unforgettable memories of his first relationship with Mike. He simply remembers having discovered him already focused on victory, and lodged with his partners. Suffice to say that the temperament and attitude of His Airness have not changed over the years, and that his rage to win was already driving him during his younger years.
It is nevertheless clear that this inaugural contact, although cold, will not have been detrimental for Michael and Scottie. It can nonetheless be taken as a harbinger of their future disrupted connection. This does not mean that “Robin” does not know how to recognize the merits of his Batman. He has shown it well lately.
Distant, competitor, joker… Scottie Pippen was quickly able to discover the character traits of Michael Jordan following his draft to the Bulls. The glorious – and less glorious – sequel is known to all.
