Scottie Pippen wasn't known for being a flamethrower on the court, but he certainly knows how to be one off of it.
In an inflammatory interview on the June 28 edition of "The Dan Patrick Show," Pippen set his sights on former teammate Michael Jordan and head coach Phil Jackson, throwing gasoline on a still-burning fire after the fallout of "The Last Dance."
Speaking on Jordan's decision to step away from basketball and pursue a baseball career, Pippen called the move "selfish" and said "it was kind of who Michael Jordan was":
"Yeah It was a big decision, but It was a selfish decision, but it was kind of who Michael Jordan was. That was a guy who believed he can do anything on his own"
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 28, 2021
-@ScottiePippen on Michael Jordan's decision to leave the #Bulls and pursue a baseball career pic.twitter.com/PoHFAIjqgc
"That was kind of a guy who believed he could do anything on his own," he said.
Pippen said while the duo were "excellent teammates," they were nothing more than that, with no real mention of friendship between the two.
MORE: Charles Barkley feels 'sadness' about deteriorated friendship with Michael Jordan
In response to the 2020 docuseries "The Last Dance," which chronicled the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls series, Pippen said the footage was focused on Jordan and not the Bulls at large, with the "cameras" working squarely for Jordan and not for the Bulls.
"All those cameras were working for Michael Jordan not the Chicago Bulls." - Scottie Pippen said that documentary footage was one-sided on @dpshow
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) June 28, 2021
"You know all those cameras who was sitting in that huddle, who they was working for?" Pippen asked. "You know who Michael was speaking to, right? That was planned. That was speaking to the camera. That wasn't speaking out of, what we're gonna have to do, what the play is gonna be. That was speaking to the camera.
"Had John Stockton not came down — trust me. That was building his own documentary, 'cause he knew he was controlling the cameras."
Pippen also set his sights on former Bulls head coach Phil Jackson, saying that Jackson didn't afford Pippen the last-second shot in a 1994 playoff matchup vs. the Knicks. Pippen says that Phil Jackson's motivations for giving Kukoc the opportunity at a shot and not himself were purely motivated by race.
Dan Patrick: "By saying 'racial move' then you're calling Phil Jackson a racist."
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 28, 2021
Scottie Pippen: "I don't have a problem with that."
Patrick: "Do you think Phil was?"
Pippen: "Oh yeah ..."pic.twitter.com/oKeqVEPuZc
Patrick prodded: "By saying a racial move, you're calling Phil a racist."
Pippen responds: "I don't have a problem with that."
Patrick: "Do you think Phil was, or is?"
Pippen: "Oh, yeah."
The former Bulls All-Star and Basketball Hall of Famer would also excoriate Jackson for his decision to write a tell-all book about his time with the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. Pippen says that, as a player, he knew Jackson more than people on the outside of the locker room, defending his controversial stance on the head coach.
Pippen had made recent headlines for comments surrounding Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
Doesn't look like his propensity to grab headlines is slowing down any time soon.
I’m just answering the questions y’all asking me. You wanted the headlines, you got them - dig deeper to find out why I actually said what I said instead of framing your questions to get clicks. It’s all love! 🖤
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) June 28, 2021
You can view the entire interview with Pippen on "The Dan Patrick Show" below:
