Scottie Pippen is taking himself out of the conversation.
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If anyone was including the NBA Hall of Famer and six-time champion in any discussion of the greatest clutch performers ever, don't. Pippen, alongside newly-retired Paul Pierce and fellow Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, told Rachel Nichols on ESPN's "The Jump" he didn't have the "clutch gene," a characteristic popularized, if not coined, by Fox Sports blowhard Skip Bayless for the sole purpose of discrediting LeBron James.
"I played with a guy (Michael Jordan) that took all the clutch genes out of you."
From #TheJump: The time when Scottie Pippen said "I'm not afraid to say it, I don't have a clutch gene," and T-Mac asked him about the 1.8 😂 pic.twitter.com/XKahDdCgru
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 24, 2017
Pippen was keeping it funky. He also was being modest. Sure, Jordan is arguably the most clutch offensive player in postseason history, having connected on 9 of 18 potentially game-winning or tying attempts when down by one or two points in the the final 24 seconds of regulation or overtime, but Pippen had his moments as well.
One of the greatest perimeter defenders in the history of the game, his diving steal in Game 6 of the 1997 Finals against the Jazz secured the Bulls' fifth title.
He was a star in his role and one of the 50 greatest players to ever lace up a pair of mid-tops. There's no shame in that.