This is the well-documented story of the one-sided feud between Scottie Pippen & Michael Jordan. Since then, Pippen shared his thoughtsFans and ex-players alike have shared their thoughts on his former teammate. Many are now wondering how similar the two of them were during their NBA careers. The Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf has addressed a rumor about the pair amid all the excitement.
Along with Jerry Krause, the late general manager, Larry Krause was the longtime exec who oversaw the Bulls teams to six championships. While the rosters were strong, there was a bit of front office drama (much of which was chronicled in ESPN’s The Last Dance). Tracy McGrady, a Hall of Famer, made an assertion about the team’s storied basketball history. McGrady alleged that in 1997, Michael Jordan threatened to retire in order to halt a trade that would’ve sent him to Chicago and Scottie Pippen to the Boston Celtics.
Jerry Reinsdorf appeared recently as a guest host on NBC Sports Chicago’s Bulls Live PregameThe exec shed light on the matter at a conference in. The 86-year-old exec set the record straight, stating that Air Jordan didn’t actually have such a dramatic response to the potential trade:
This story has a lot to it. One thing is false: Michael Jordan did not communicate with the Chicago Bulls regarding his dissatisfaction about the trade.
Later, he repeated his assertion that he “never heard from Michael Jordan about it” and believes that if Jordan had said something, Jerry Krause would’ve mentioned it. Some may actually be surprised to hear that MJ didn’t feel strongly about the move. To this day, he still questions why the team owner, alongside Krause, decided to rebuild after the Bulls’ final championship season in 1998. While that particular topic has been (and will continue to be) debated, we needn’t worry about the details regarding this Tracy McGrady trade. That’s because the Bulls head explained it all during his interview.
At that time, we had won five championships. Krause approached me and said: ‘Look, I’m not sure I can guarantee — I don’t know how strong I feel about winning a sixth championship. But I have a chance to trade Scottie Pippen to the Boston Celtics for two very high picks (No. 3 and 6 in the 1997 draft).’Krause: If we had made that deal, he would have taken Tracy McGrady, and he would have taken Ron Mercer.
The executive explained that he “thought long and hard”He declined the offer. And good thing too, because there’s a chance he may not have earned that sixth championship ring had things gone through. The drama of that season may have been a bit lighter without Scottie. To avoid rehabilitation over the summer, the hall of famer would make controversially delayed off-season surgery decisions. Because of this, he was not available for much of the ‘97-’98 season. This was a polarizing feature of The Last DanceSteve Kerr, who was a former player) agree. Found the doc “embarrassing”For himselfPippen was depicted in a negative light by (
The former basketball player was loved by his teammates, however. Toni Kukoč even naming himHe is his favorite teammate. It is only possible that Scottie Pippen will love Michael Jordan as much as he does. Start speaking again. Charles Oakley, an ex-teammate, believes what’s going on between themThis was a result of something that happened in their playing days. So as was the case with this recent rumor, maybe we’ll get some additional details that’ll give us a better understanding of the situation.
Streaming is an option. The Last DanceWith a Netflix subscriptionYou can also get an ESPN+ Membership.