Scottie Pippen cools talk of Michael Jordan rift over The Last Dance
- ‘Why would I be offended by anything that happened 30 years ago?’ – Hall of Famer denies rumours he was unhappy at portrayal
- Documentary on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls season was a ratings winner in the US earlier this year
Scottie Pippen says he has talked with Michael Jordan since The Last Dance documentary aired in the spring and downplayed any rift between the retired Chicago Bulls stars.
“Why would I be offended by anything that happened 30 years ago?” Pippen said.
Jordan widely praised Pippen in the documentary that chronicled the Bulls’ dynasty in the 1990s as the best teammate he ever had – both players were elected to the Hall of Fame. But Jordan called out Pippen in the second episode for making a “selfish” decision to delay off-season surgery on a ruptured tendon in his ankle until after the start of the 1997-98 season. Jordan said in the documentary he did not understand Pippen’s decision.
There were reports that Pippen was unhappy with his portrayal in the documentary, but he said Tuesday, “I wasn’t upset about it.” The documentary also included Pippen’s refusal to enter game three of the 1994 Eastern Conference semi-finals in the final seconds.
“It didn’t bother me at all,” Pippen said. “It was an opportunity for our younger generation that hadn’t seen or knew anything about basketball in the ’90s.”
