NBA Made ‘The Last Dance’ Director Remove Scottie Pippen-Jerry Krause Scene From Docuseries

Jason Hehir, the director of the famous “The Last Dance” docuseries, told Pablo Torre that the NBA made him remove a Scottie Pippen-Jerry Krause scene from the 10-part docuseries. 

Pippen did not have a good relationship with Krause, who died in 2017. 

The Last Dance director @jasonmhehir reveals the ONLY thing that the NBA made him remove from the documentary.

“The one thing the NBA pushed back on in the entire process was a clip where Scottie, in the locker room, they were joking around saying what they were going to do when… pic.twitter.com/Xv6sIGQXDM

— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) August 1, 2024

Krause made several questionable moves during the Michael Jordan-Pippen era that agitated the Chicago Bulls superstars.

However, if it weren’t for Krause, Chicago would have never gotten Pippen.

Krause acquired Pippen from the Seattle SuperSonics on the night of the 1987 NBA Draft. He traded Olden Polynice, a 1988 second-round pick and a 1989 first-round pick for Pippen. 

Jordan never won a playoff series until Pippen got to the Bulls. MJ needed a partner in crime to have success in the NBA and Pippen fit that bill to perfection.

Pippen is one of the best two-way players in NBA history. He could score, pass and rebound at a high level and was a lockdown defender, making the All-NBA defensive team 10 times during his legendary career.

Krause made Pippen feel special by trading for him in 1987 and giving him the confidence he needed to become a star. However, everything changed after Krause drafted Toni Kukoc and began to neglect Pippen.

Krause drafted Kukoc in the 1990 NBA Draft. He was infatuated with the lefty despite having Jordan and Pippen. That’s why MJ and Pip went after Kukoc in the 1992 Olympics when Team USA faced Croatia. They wanted to embarrass Krause and Kukoc on a global stage.

Pippen requested a trade from the Bulls during the 1997-98 season since Krause tried to trade him in the summer of 1997. Pippen was in the final season of his contract and knew the team would be broken up after the 1997-98 campaign finished.

Pippen did not get traded and made his season debut on January 10, 1998, after recovering from the surgery he purposely underwent during the season as his way of thumbing his nose at Krause.

After the Bulls won their sixth title in 1998, Phil Jackson and Jordan retired and Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets. He signed a five-year, $67.2 million contract as part of the sign-and-trade deal between Houston and Chicago. The Arkansas native finally got paid and no longer had to deal with Krause.