‘Both Of Us Were Sick Of These Games’: Scottie Pippen And Michael Jordan Once Drank Beers Before Bulls Preseason Game

NBA icons Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen once drank beers before a Chicago Bulls preseason game. 

Jordan and Pippen won six championships, three-peated twice and went undefeated in the NBA Finals, so preseason games were pointless to them.

“Michael and I drank a couple of beers prior to a preseason game,” Pippen wrote in his book. “Both of us were sick of these games, also meaningless. I couldn’t miss then, either.”

In Episode 6 of ESPN’s “The Last Dance” doc, Pippen, Jordan and Ron Harper are shown drinking beers in the postgame locker room after a Bulls win over the Orlando Magic on April 11, 1998.

“After a hard day, I would take Gatorade,” Jordan said. “But I don’t think so.”

During that same scene, Jordan told Pippen and Harper that his old Bulls teammates used to drink beer and smoke cigarettes at halftime. 

“Aye, if they go back 10 years ago, you’d see half the brothers drinking a case at halftime,” Jordan said. “When I first joined the team, they was drinking beers at half and smoking a cigarette. And you know what? Shit, they was getting the cigarettes from the coaches.”

Pippen also drank before the 1994 NBA All-Star Game. He won MVP. 

“That was a crazy day,” Pippen wrote in his book. “Before the game, I hung out in my hotel room with a buddy, Michael Clarke, a former teammate of Pete Myers‘s at U of A in Little Rock. Michael and I played tonk, the loser drinking a shot of beer. This went on for hours. I probably drank the equivalent of three beers.

“Suddenly, it was time to leave for the arena. So I was a little tipsy. So what? I wasn’t planning on putting much energy into what is nothing more than an exhibition. And, you may recall, ever since I was snubbed in 1991, I didn’t think much of the All-Star Game to begin with. The strangest thing then happened. When I got on the court to warm up, my level of concentration was off the charts. I hit every shot, including three-pointers.”

Behind Jordan and Pippen, the Bulls became one of the best dynasties in NBA history.

Chicago defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1991 Finals, the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1992 Finals, the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 Finals, the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 Finals and the Utah Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 Finals. 

In two stints with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 31.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.9 blocks. He won five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, 10 scoring titles and three steals titles. 

Pippen also had two stints with the Bulls. He averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.9 blocks and made seven All-Star teams, 10 All-Defensive teams and seven All-NBA teams.

Jordan finished his NBA career with averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Bulls and Washington Wizards. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jordan is first in NBA history in points per game, fourth in steals, fifth in field goals and second in player efficiency rating. He holds the NBA record for most points (63) scored in a playoff game. 

Meanwhile, Pippen holds career NBA averages of 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Bulls, Houston Rockets and Blazers. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 with Jordan by his side.