KEY POINTS
- The former Chicago Bulls forward said he feels like he has a 'good relationship' with $BTC's creator
- Pippen tokenized the ball his team used during the historic Game 5 NBA championship in 1991
- Many Bitcoiners and crypto users doubt Pippen's claims, and some said his project seemed like a scam
Former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen revealed at a cryptocurrency conference last week that he has met Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, raising questions – at times rage – among Bitcoiners on X.
At the Cantor Fitzgerald Crypto, Digital Assets & AI Infrastructure Conference last week, Pippen said he met Nakamoto "back in 1993" in Seattle, adding that he believes he has "a story to tell."
MicroStrategy Executive Chairman Can't Believe It
MicroStrategy's Michael Saylor was on stage with Pippen when he made the revelation. An apparently surprised Saylor, at least based on the close-up clip posted by Pippen himself, looked at Pippen as he talked about the experience.
Even Michael @Saylor couldn’t believe it… #BeLikeSatoshi pic.twitter.com/RZhaWN3TF0
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) November 16, 2024
When asked by the host if Pippen has "a good relationship with Satoshi," the former six-time NBA champion said, "I feel like I do." Saylor once again looked at Pippen with hands clasped before looking away. Pippen didn't go into the details of his supposed meet-up with the still unidentified creator of the BTC white paper.
Saylor was also asked if he ever met Nakamoto, to which the tech executive said he hasn't met the mysterious blockchain pioneer.
Pippen Talks History with $BTC
Pippen, dubbed as one of the best forwards during his time, revealed that he was drawn to the world's most valuable digital asset last year when the coin was still at around $33,000.
He said he believes that his work on tokenizing real world assets (RWAs) around sports "will bring a lot of value" into the Bitcoin community.
This is bigger than a game—we’re building the #1 sports brand on the blockchain. Watch my full sit-down from the Cantor Crypto Conference as I talk #Bitcoin with Michael @Saylor and the journey of bringing the most iconic collectible, the @Game5Ball aka $BALL, on Bitcoin. 🏀🔥 pic.twitter.com/9dInX1DJFa
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) November 17, 2024
Saylor was asked what he thought about the innovation, given his stance on buying and holding BTC for as long as one can. The Bitcoin maximalist said he supports innovation around BTC and the broader crypto space but stopped short of saying he will invest in Game5Ball (BALL), Pippen's project that tokenized the ball the Chicago Bulls used during the history-changing 1991 NBA Game 5 championship.
Bitcoiners, Crypto Users Blast Pippen
As clips of his sit-down with Saylor spread on X, crypto users and Bitcoiners criticized the former NBA star, with one user saying he was "disappointed" over Pippen's claims.
Total BS. I'm disappointed in Scottie for larping about this. let down. 'he came to me in a dream' was last month's schtick. Now he actually met him? lol
— Mr Officer Pepe (@MrOfficerPepe) November 16, 2024
Many users commented that "Saylor's face says it all," suggesting Pippen was lying.
World of bullshit..Saylor s face says it all.
— F Scott (@onelife_2_liv) November 17, 2024
I cannot stop laughing at Saylor’s reaction. 💀
— Kim₿o (@KimboTheJingo) November 17, 2024
One Bitcoin holder said the community should initiate "a full and complete shutdown on Scottie Pippen in the Bitcoin space until we figure out what's going on." The said Bitcoiner wanted to know about Pippen's "angle and scam" for saying he met Satoshi in the past.
Agreed. I sense a rugpull.
— TexasBTC_FTW (@Kurt_Kokain) November 16, 2024
Some crypto users have tagged Pippen's token project as a "scam" or a "rug pull," a type of exit scam in crypto wherein developers disappear after taking the investments of crypto users.
It’s enough to know it’s a scam. Steer clear
— Gravyrocks (@gravyrocks) November 17, 2024
One user said it was "suspicious" that Pippen claims to have met Satoshi years before the Bitcoin white paper was even released, while another user said Pippen may belong in the broader crypto space but nowhere near Bitcoin.
Anyone else just feel a weird embarrassment for him? He doesn't belong in the space for sure. Maybe Crypto but stay away from Bitcoin.
— bitStackP (@bitStackP) November 17, 2024
For the Exposure?
It remains to be seen whether Pippen will go into detail in the future regarding his supposed meeting with Nakamoto in 1993. On the other hand, his "revelation" may be part of his promotion for BALL.
Ahead of BALL's launch early in August, Pippen posted that he dreamt of Nakamoto. "If you don't believe me or don't get RWA, I don't have time to try to convince you, sorry," Nakamoto supposedly told Pippen in the dream.
I had a dream I met Satoshi Nakamoto last night. He didn’t see me as just another player. Instead, Satoshi was proud that I was opening a new lane for #RWA in the crypto market. Bringing the @Game5Ball to the blockchain lets me pass history to the community, innovate sports, and… pic.twitter.com/cOI19Bk4Fr
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) July 30, 2024
Even then, his post gained much criticism from crypto users, with many saying such antics were not how one should go in promoting a new crypto project.
