(Audacy) Bulls legend and Hall of Fame forward Scottie Pippen has made some outrageous comments over the past couple of years and certainly in the past few weeks, but now it seems like he's just talking to an empty crowd.
Another tidbit from his newly released book "Unguarded" is making headlines again for slamming former Bulls teammate and star Michael Jordan. This time, Pippen claimed Jordan "ruined the game of basketball" with his playing style and weighed in on the never-ending greatest-of-all-time debate between Jordan and LeBron James. Pippen gave James the GOAT nod in an excerpt from the book shared by Hypebeast.
“I may go as far to say Mike ruined basketball," Pippen said in the book. "In the '80s on the playgrounds, you’d have everyone moving the ball around — passing to help the team. That stopped in the '90s. Kids wanted to be ‘Like Mike.’ Well, Mike didn’t want to pass — didn’t want to rebound or defend the best player. He wanted everything done for him. That’s why I always believed LeBron James was the greatest player this game has ever seen — he does everything and embodies what the game is truly about.”
Pippen has apparently changed his mind in the GOAT debate, as at one point previously he called Jordan the greatest player ever. Pippen has also suggested the late great Kobe Bryant was the GOAT as well.
Pippen's comments has drawn attention from the NBA community. Fellow Hall of Famer Charles Barkley made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show to share his theory behind Pippen's comments and pretty much summed up what most believe Pippen is saying all of this for.
“Scottie’s just trying to sell books,” Barkley said. “I don’t think he’s worried about relationships down the line, friendships down the line. I think he’s just trying to sell books!”
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