“Unguarded”. This is the name of Scottie Pippen’s book, which will be released on November 9 in the United States. It is co-written with Michael Arkush, already author of books with Ray Allen and Ray Sugar Leonard. Last June, Pippen justified the writing of this book with this sentence: “The Last Dance was more about Michael Jordan than the Bulls. It was his story. This book is mine ”.
Promise kept if we are to believe the first extracts of the book published by the magazine GQ. The former Lieutenant of Michael Jordan tells in particular why he hated this series broadcast on Netflix.
“May 19, 2020, 6:31 pm A message from Michael. He didn’t contact us very often. ” What’s up dude ? I was told you were angry with me. I would like to talk about it if you have the time. »
My schedule was busy that night and I knew the conversation would take time. I called him back an hour and a half later: “ Let’s talk about it tomorrow« .
Michael was right. I was angry with him. It was because of The Last Dance, ESPN’s ten-part documentary about the Chicago Bulls’ final championship season (1997-98), which millions of people watched during the first weeks of the pandemic.
(…)
The last two episodes aired on May 17. Like the previous eight, they glorified Michael Jordan without giving enough praise to me and my proud teammates. Much of the blame goes to Michael. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The documentary could not have been otherwise. He was the main actor and director.
(…)
When I was first told about it over a year ago, I couldn’t wait to watch the movie, knowing it would contain rare footage. ESPN sent me the links to the first eight episodes a few weeks in advance. When I watched the doc at home in Southern California with my three teenage boys, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Among the scenes from the first episode:
- Michael, a North Carolina freshman, managed the winning shot over the Georgetown Hoyas in the 1982 NCAA title game.
- Michael, selected in third place by the Bulls in 1984, behind Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston) and Sam Bowie (Portland), talks about his hope to change the franchise.
- Michael leads the Bulls to a win over the Milwaukee Bucks in just his third game.
- And so on, the spotlight is on number 23.
Even in the second episode, which was devoted for a while to my difficult upbringing and unlikely path to the NBA, the narrative returned to MJ and his determination to win. I was nothing more than an accessory. His “best teammate of all time,” as he called me. He couldn’t have been more condescending …
“How dare Michael treat us like this after all we’ve done for him and his precious glory?” “
Come to think of it, it became obvious. I spent a lot of time with this man. I knew what made him tick. How naive I had been to expect anything else.
Each episode was the same: Michael on a pedestal, his teammates in the background, smaller, the message not being different from the one he sent us at the time by calling us his “supporting roles”. Season over season, we received little to no credit when we won, but most of the criticism when we lost. Michael could make 6 out of 24 shots, commit 5 stray bullets, it remained in the minds of the press and the public, the Jordan who does not make mistakes.
Now I was there, in my mid-fifties, seventeen years after my last game, watching him put us down once more. Experiencing it the first time was insulting enough.
Over the following weeks, I spoke to a number of my former teammates who felt just as despised as I did. How dare Michael treat us like this after all we had done for him and his precious glory? Michael Jordan would never have been Michael Jordan without me, Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc, John Paxson, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Bill Cartwright, Ron Harper, BJ Armstrong, Luc Longley, Will Perdue and Bill Wennington. I apologize to all those I forgot.
“To make matters worse, Michael received $ 10 million for his role in the series, while my teammates and I did not win a cent”
I’m not saying Michael wouldn’t have been a superstar wherever he plays. He was so spectacular. It’s just that he built on the success we’ve achieved collectively – six titles in eight years – to propel himself to a level of worldwide stardom that no other athlete except Muhammad. Ali, had only achieved in modern times.
To make matters worse, Michael received $ 10 million for his role in the series, while my teammates and I didn’t earn a cent, another reminder of the hierarchy of old. For a whole season, we allowed the cameras to penetrate the sanctity of our locker rooms, our training, our hotels, our gatherings… our lives. “
The other clips are about his relationship with the Bulls in his post career, and he’s just as bitter.
