“He couldn’t have been more condescending if he tried”
NBA legend Scottie Pippen has slammed former teammate Michael Jordan for the ‘condescending’ portrayal of him and other Chicago Bulls players in last year’s docuseries ‘The Last Dance’.
During their time together in the Windy City, Pippen and Jordan won six NBA titles in eight years with the Bulls, transcending the sport during a number of dominant years.
The Last Dance was an extremely popular series, but Pippen has revealed his displeasure at the way he was depicted within the 10-part docuseries, stating that he ‘was nothing more than a prop’ and that ‘MJ’ simply did it to boost his ego and prove that he is ‘still larger than LeBron James’.
In an excerpt from Pippen’s book, titled Unguarded, that appeared on GQ, the seven-time NBA All-Star criticised Jordan for portraying himself as ‘superior’.
“They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud team-mates,” the former small forward wrote.
“Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn’t have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director.
“Except Michael was determined to prove to the current generation of fans that he was larger-than-life during his day – and still larger than LeBron James, the player many consider his equal, if not superior.
“Even in the second episode, which focused for a while on my difficult upbringing and unlikely path to the NBA, the narrative returned to MJ and his determination to win. I was nothing more than a prop. His “best team-mate of all time”, he called me.
“He couldn’t have been more condescending if he tried.”
https://twitter.com/ChiSportUpdates/status/1455511004620726277
The 56-year-old also condemned Jordan for presenting his teammates as a ‘supporting cast’ to his success.
He added: “Each episode was the same: Michael on a pedestal, his team-mates secondary, smaller, the message no different from when he referred to us back then as his ‘supporting cast’.
“From one season to the next, we received little or no credit whenever we won but the bulk of the criticism when we lost. Michael could shoot six for 24 from the field, commit five turnovers, and he was still, in the minds of the adoring press and public, the Errorless Jordan.
“Now here I was, in my mid-50s, 17 years since my final game, watching us being demeaned once again. Living through it the first time was insulting enough.”
Hall of famers Pippen and Jordan were both named in the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, with the pair accumulating 2,250 appearances between them.
Related links:
- The producers of The Last Dance are making a Stone Cold Steve Austin documentary
- Netflix and ESPN’s new ’30 for 30′ documentary on Michael Jordan looks incredible
- This newspaper chose the worst possible image for a Michael Jordan story
