Scottie Pippen Didn’t Enjoy Playing With Charles Barkley On Rockets: ‘Michael Jordan Was Right, Charles Wasn’t Dedicated Enough To Win A Championship’

Scottie Pippen wrote in his book that he didn’t enjoy playing with Charles Barkley on the Houston Rockets during the 1998-99 NBA season. 

Pippen heard Michael Jordan say that Barkley wasn’t dedicated enough to win a title a few years before getting traded to the Rockets.

Pippen didn’t initially agree with Jordan, but after playing with Barkley, he found out that MJ was correct. 

“Michael was correct,” Pippen wrote. “Charles wasn’t dedicated enough to win a championship. Not even close. Before the season got underway, Tim Grover, Michael’s trainer, came to town to work out with Charles and me. Charles didn’t last one week. Michael could get away with playing golf and a hectic lifestyle. Charles could not. Something had to give, and that was basketball. He was a lot like Shaq. As great as he was, he should have been greater.”

The Rockets went 31-19 in 1998-99 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 1999 playoffs. 

In the offseason of 1999, Pippen requested a trade from the Rockets and was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Barkley took a shot at Pippen for leaving Houston after one season, telling the media that Pippen owed him an apology. 

That’s when Pippen ripped Barkley during an interview.

“I wouldn’t give Charles Barkley an apology at gunpoint,” Pippen said. “He can never expect an apology from me. If anything, he owes me an apology for coming to play with his sorry fat butt.”

Pippen averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.7 blocks in 1998-99. Meanwhile, Barkley averaged 16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.3 blocks. 

“I would never have said anything against him if he hadn’t gone after me first,” Pippen wrote. “What gave him the right? When he did, it brought out the frustration I had kept bottled up for months. I didn’t have many years left in my career. I had just wasted one of them.”

Pippen played four seasons with the Blazers and 23 games with the Chicago Bulls in 2003-04 before retiring from the NBA.

Meanwhile, Barkley retired following the 1999-00 season. 

“Charles and I are cool now, Pippen wrote. “That was a long time ago. The two of us simply had different approaches to the game, and there was only one way to resolve them.”

Pippen finished his career with averages of 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.8 blocks. He made seven All-Star teams, 10 All-Defensive teams and seven All-NBA teams. 

Meanwhile, Barkley averaged 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. He made 11 All-Star teams and 11 All-NBA teams. 

Pippen won six championships with Jordan on the Bulls, while Barkley didn’t win any.