Michael Jordan's first retirement was one of the main subjects of Sunday's episodes of “The Last Dance.” After leaving the game in 1993, the Chicago Bulls were left with a gargantuan void to fill, and to his credit, Scottie Pippen did everything he could to step in as the team's new leader.
Pippen opened up about his particular experience that season during the show, and noted that life was actually quite good sans Michael Jordan.
“Great,” Pippen said, via of Bill Difilippo of Uproxx. “[The players] had nobody yelling at ‘em, they got up plenty of shots.”
Pippen added that while he emerged as the team's unbridled leader both on and off the court, it actually took a complete team effort for the Bulls throughout the season.
“Everyone expected me to try to be the man, but we beat teams by committee and we learned to play together, and share the ball, and win together,” Pippen said.
Then-Bulls head coach Phil Jackson chimed in, praising Pippen for stepping up to the plate.
“Scottie was our prime motivator, initiator, organize the offense, he really stepped into that role,” Jackson said.
Former Bulls teammate Steve Kerr compared Pippen's leadership style to Jordan's, and noted that the former had more of a people-centered approach.
“Michael would just bludgeon everybody around him,” Steve Kerr said. “Scottie was the much softer touch. He was the guy who would sort of comfort you when things weren’t going well, put his arm around you and say, ‘Hang in there, you’ll be alright.’”
As detailed in the documentary, Chicago went 55-27 that season with Pippen at the helm, but were ousted by the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. Despite the good times, things just weren't the same without Jordan.
Follow Us
Subscribe