MJ once said, “Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen” While the issues stemming from ‘The Last Dance’ documentary brought the duo’s friendship to a somewhat standstill, no NBA fan of the 90s could deny the bond that the Chicago Bulls legends held back then. Their charisma continues to resonate even today, as Stephen A. Smith recently asked for some respect to come the duo’s way. When touching base on some recent remarks made on Gilbert Arenas’ show, he highlighted how Nick Young, a former member of the Warriors fraternity, laid the foundation for a heated argument. How?
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Young placed the 2018 Warriors roster on top while discussing the greatest NBA team of all time! Having been on the squad, Young could speak from personal experience about the role that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s bond played in bringing the Larry O’Brien trophy home. Meanwhile, Kenyon Martin believed that Shaquille O’Neal made the 2000s Lakers great, and the fact that he had Kobe Bryant alongside him only made it better.
While Smith may undoubtedly hold the Kobe–Shaq and Curry-Thompson duo in high regard, he still took it to heart that the Gil’s Arena crew didn’t mention the squad, that generated two three-peats. This caused him to state, “We’re just gonna forget the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, that went 72 and 10, and ran through cats and winning the championship? We’re gonna forget Michael Jordan with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman?”
“We’re gonna forget how volatile a game of basketball was then, and how you could get away with stuff then that you couldn’t get away with now, K Mart (Kenyon Martin)? Cause you know better than me. Swaggy P, you know better than me, y’all played,” he ranted on the Stephen A. Smith Show.
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Did this ex-Warrior just disrespect Michael Jordan? React!
With the majority of their crew made up of former NBA players, the Gil’s Arena squad often give out opinions that are sure to make hoops enthusiasts engage in debate. After all, not everyone may hold the same opinion as the other. While Nick Young indicated holding Stephen Curry and Co. in high regards, it wasn’t that long ago when Gilbert Arenas himself went viral for claiming that “Steph is not a generational talent.”
Months later, Kenyon Martin would make headlines for claiming, “Bonzi Wells better than Draymond Green”, even though he has not won any individual NBA accolade to his name. As a result, the differing opinions can only please some while upsetting others over apparent snubs.
The crew’s recent remarks do not mean that they haven’t held the Jordan-Pippen duo in high regard. It was only back in May when Gilbert Arenas took a shot at JJ Redick for suggesting that Michael Jordan reportedly “watered down” the league during his heyday.
The former Warrior also highlighted the importance of Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan complimenting each other by stating, “Think about when he made his first All-Defensive Team. It’s the year Scottie Pippen comes to the game. He wasn’t considered a defensive player until Scottie Pippen comes. Because now him and Scottie Pippen can do exactly what their, when he’s on the ball, ‘Scottie Pippen, you follow me. Scottie Pippen when you have the ball, I net everything up.’ Right, so they had a great system.”
It was unfortunate that the recent snub just had to get the attention of Stephen A. Smith. Being a great admirer of the NBA era that came before, Stephen A. Smith has often held the Bulls, especially Michael Jordan, in high regards. In fact, the sportscaster often highlights the opinions and claims that ‘His Airness’ himself supposedly texted to him on live television. This same friendship allowed Smith to reveal unknown details about some early cracks that had started to develop in Jordan and Pippen’s relationship.
Stephen A. Smith claims Michael Jordan did not appreciate Scottie Pippen not giving his condolences: “He’s (Pippen) crossed the line”
Back in July 1993, Michael Jordan received a devastating blow after his father. James R. Jordan. Sr was murdered as part of a robbery attempt. Not knowing what happened, the NBA player had his own team look into the matter and didn’t even file a missing persons report for three weeks. Once his passing was confirmed, however, the NBA world mourned. As it turned out, however, Scottie Pippen may not have been among them.
Through his book ‘Unguarded’, Scottie Pippen highlighted his displeasure with how ‘The Last Dance’ snubbed the rest of the Bulls and focused solely on MJ. In the same book, however, he also revealed that he regrets not giving any condolences to ‘His Airness’ after his father’s death, with the move being intentional. For anyone who wanted to know Jordan’s reaction to the news, Stephen A. Smith had them covered.
“How he (Pippen) didn’t give his condolences on purpose, Michael Jordan’s words were ‘I hope it’s worth it for him I have nothing and he literally said I have nothing else to say’ and I know Michael Jordan well enough to know what that means,” Smith said during an episode of the PBD Podcast.
