A plethora of sports fans – including myself – have been watching what appears to be a breakdown in the relationship between iconic Chicago Bulls players Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. Pippen didn’t mince words in 2021 when he expressed his displeasure with the ESPN docuseries The Last Dance, which he believes Jordan used to “uplift himself.” Since then, the former small forward has aimed a number of pointed comments at his former friend in what’s essentially been a one-sided feud. And Pippen made headlines again in May when he called Jordan a “horrible” player. The sentiments have spurred a number of responses, including one from fellow Bulls alum Scott Williams.
Scottie Pippen made the viral remarks about Air Jordan when he was asked about who he views as the true GOATS of basketball. He believes LeBron James will become “the greatest statistical guy to ever play the game.” When discussing his old on-court partner in Chicago, Pippen said that his style of play made him a “horrible” athlete to play with. In his estimation, Michael Jordan was “was all one on one” and prone to “shooting bad shots.” It should be said that the hall of famer did name Jordan as part of his Mount Rushmore of greats, though he seemed to stand firmly by his critiques as well.
Scott Williams played alongside both of the NBA greats for three of his four seasons with the Bulls. The color commentator recently appeared on Roc & Manuch with Jimmy B, where he was inevitably asked about his old colleague’s thoughts. Williams remained diplomatic while also admitting that like so many others, he was also surprised by the sentiments:
I’m dumbfounded, flabbergasted and any other adjective that you want to throw in there. I like to stay out of the way of these heavyweights, these hall of farmers, when they get into tiffs. I love both those guys. Scottie Pippen was a great teammate, Michael Jordan [was] a different style of teammate and motivator. I loved playing with and for, I suppose, both of those cats. So I try to stay in my lane.
He hasn’t always stayed in his lane, though. After Scottie Pippen called out Michael Jordan in 2021, Scott Williams took a seemingly lighthearted shot at him. He mused that Jordan was the better teammate given that he tends to do a better job of staying in contact. Nevertheless, Williams doesn’t really seem to hold any kind of negative feelings towards Pippen. He does find this situation disappointing, however, as he was hoping that he and his old buddies, with whom he won three consecutive championships with, could link up soon:
It does hurt my heart, because this is the 30th anniversary of what would’ve been the first three-peat – “first dance” if you’ll allow me that. … I really was looking forward to getting the band back together, so to speak. We were like the rockstars – The Beatles, The Jackson 5 – every time we hit the road. It was so fun to be around those guys during that time. … That ain’t gonna happen, at the current state of things. I hope that they can settle whatever beef is going on. It seems to be more one-sided with Scottie right now, but I hope he finds his way to sitting down or picking up a phone and talk with MJ and working those things out.
The former McDonald’s All-American’s take on the situation is definitely tame compared to those shared by others. Charles Barkley called out Scottie Pippen for his comments, accusing him of “big-game hunting” to sell his memoir at the time. Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy referred to Pippen as “bitter” after he took another shot at Michael Jordan in 2022. So it pretty much goes without saying that there’s been a lot of drama here. At this point, it doesn’t look like there’s a mea culpa on the horizon but, like Scott Williams, I hold out hope that one can happen between Pippen and Jordan.
