Who is your NBA GOAT? Ask this question to anyone but Scottie Pippen. The former Chicago Bulls star has named different players on different occasions. It seemed to be anyone but Michael Jordan for Pippen, especially during a specific phase, when he did nothing but bash MJ.
“He was a horrible player. He was horrible to play with,” Pip said in a particular instance. But with the backlash after Scottie’s alleged anti-Michael tour (No Bull Tour), the 7x All-Star seemed to have softened his stance. One NBA fan has used a similar interview clip to make a point.
The resurfaced video is from Pippen’s interview with Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo in February this year. During the interview, the 58-year-old faced the question of whether Michael Jordan, according to him, was the greatest ever. He agreed to the notion of His Airness being the best, pointing out his accolades.
However, he also credited their success as a team that helped Mike bring home the accolades. “But he was the greatest player in basketball,” Pippen said. An X user, re-sharing the interview, claimed that this is what the 6x champion actually believes in the GOAT debate. “Sorry Bron fan boys y’all lost Pippen he’s back to his senses again,” he said.
Meanwhile, various other X users have a mixed opinion of this.
Scottie Pippen’s changing opinion has confused fans
During a media interaction in 2018, Pip faced the question of his GOAT between LeBron James and MJ. Stating the comparison is unfair to both the players as they played in different eras and had different roles, Scottie named Wilt Chamberlain as the greatest player. However, in a 2020 interview with Thuzio, Pippen stated Kobe Bryant was better than Mike and named him as his GOAT.
Referencing the continued change of opinion, one X user commented, “Lol Scottie said mj was the goat, then lebron, then wilt, and then when Kobe died he said Kobe, can’t trust anything he says on this topic tbh.”
Meanwhile, another user highlighted the hypocrisy in Jacob’s opinion of discrediting Bron based on Pip’s comments, when earlier the 7x All-Star had mentioned James as the greatest. “When he says LeBron is the GOAT he isn’t to his senses but when he says MJ is the GOAT he is back to his senses?” he wrote. Pippen mentioned Bron as the greatest after The Last Dance docuseries release and amid his shifting opinion on MJ. “He does everything and embodies what the game is truly about,” Pip spoke of James.
To one user, the debate never made any sense at all, as he believes Michael Jordan is already done with the best possible explanation of the debate. “… Opinion after opinion! Michael Jordan explained it best to the media when they asked him about it. Different eras!” he wrote. His Airness once stated no one can ever say who is the greatest. He believes such narratives serve no purpose other than the purpose of selling the stories. Mike further emphasized how unfair it is to compare players across different eras.
However, there was one X user who agreed with Jacob’s opinion as he wrote, “Scottie finally over his hater phase.” As mentioned above, there was a shift in Pip’s narrative towards MJ. Especially after The Last Dance docuseries and when his ex-wife started dating MJ’s son, Marcus.
Meanwhile, another one highlighted “Key word WAS,” in this recently resurfaced video. Multiple X users in the reply section used a similar logic. They claimed Michael Jordan was the GOAT while Bron is the GOAT. There is no concrete way of reaching a conclusive name in the GOAT debate, agreed. But it does not seem Pippen’s opinion can be used to weigh in either way. It may be a different name after a couple of months.
Stay tuned for more such updates. Join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.