Michael Jordan Showed No Mercy To Scottie Pippen In Pippen’s First Practice With Bulls: ‘He Was Guarding Me As If It Were Game 7 Of The NBA Finals’

NBA legend Michael Jordan showed no mercy to Scottie Pippen in Pippen’s first practice with the Chicago Bulls. 

The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Pippen with the fifth overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. The Bulls acquired Pippen from the SuperSonics on draft night. 

“How I responded on the court would be the surest way to get Michael’s attention,” Pippen wrote in his book. “And that would be the case my whole time in Chicago. I got his attention, all right, the first time we played against each other. He was guarding me as if it were Game 7 of the NBA Finals. I weaved into the lane and slammed it home with authority. I knew I couldn’t allow Michael Jordan to intimidate me.”

Jordan and Pippen are universally recognized as the best duo in NBA history. The Hall of Famers won six championships, three-peated twice and went undefeated in the NBA Finals. 

The Bulls went an astonishing 514-177 in the regular season when Jordan and Pippen played and beat the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, SuperSonics and Utah Jazz (twice) in the NBA Finals. 

Jordan averaged 31.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.8 blocks alongside Pippen, while Pippen averaged 17.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks next to Jordan. 

“I would never be able to find a tandem, another support system, another partner in the game of basketball like Scottie Pippen,” Jordan said in Episode 2 of The Last Dance docuseries. “He was a pleasure to play with. He helped me so much in the way that I approached the game, the way I played the game. Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen. Everybody says well I won all these championships, but I didn’t win without Scottie Pippen. And that’s why I consider him my best teammate of all time.”

Pippen 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, seven All-NBA teams and 10 All-Defensive teams with Chicago. 

Jordan also played for the Bulls twice. He averaged 31.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.9 blocks and won five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, three steals titles, 10 scoring titles and one Defensive Player of the Year in Chicago. 

MJ also made 12 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine All-Defensive teams with the Bulls. 

“The two of us will forever be linked together, the best duo in NBA history,” Pippen wrote in his book. “He helped make my dreams come true, as I helped make his.”