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Scottie Pippen is reportedly unhappy with how he was portrayed in the ESPN and Netflix documentary “The Last Dance.”
What’s the news:
- David Kaplan, on his ESPN 1000 “Kap and Company” show in Chicago, said Pippen is “livid” and “so angry” about how the documentary talked about his career, especially leading up to the final episodes about the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz.
- Moments that stick out include when Jordan called Pippen selfish in the second episode for getting ankle surgery ahead of the 1997-98 season. Another was when Jordan slammed Pippen’s migraine during the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals match against the Detroit Pistons.
- “(Pippen) felt like up until the last few minutes of Game 6 against the Jazz (in the 1998 NBA Finals), it was just ‘bash Scottie, bash Scottie, bash Scottie,’” said Kaplan on his ESPN show, according to the New York Post.
Some context:
- Social media reacted to Pippen’s financial stability after the first two episodes, wondering if the Chicago Bulls star ever made any real money, which had been in dispute during those opening episodes. His wife, Larsa Pippen, shot down those rumors by tweeting out a screenshot of an article that said Pippen made more than Jordan during his career.
The bigger picture:
- Assuming these reports are correct, Pippen isn’t the only Chicago Bulls star to have a negative opinion of the documentary. Former Bulls center Horace Grant told ESPN 1000 that the documentary was full of lies, including the bit where Jordan said Grant leaked information to reporters.
- “Lie, lie, lie. ... If MJ had a grudge with me, let’s settle this like men,” Grant said during the interview. “Let’s talk about it. Or we can settle it another way. But yet and still, he goes out and puts this lie out that I was the source behind (the book). Sam and I have always been great friends. We’re still great friends. But the sanctity of that locker room, I would never put anything personal out there. The mere fact that Sam Smith was an investigative reporter. That he had to have two sources, two, to write a book, I guess. Why would MJ just point me out?
- “It’s only a grudge, man. I’m telling you, it was only a grudge. And I think he proved that during this so-called documentary. When if you say something about him, he’s going to cut you off, he’s going to try to destroy your character.”