NBA legend Scottie Pippen was angry when the Chicago Bulls signed Toni Kukoc to a six-year, $26 million contract in 1994.
Pippen was one of the best players in the NBA during his prime, but the Bulls never paid him like an elite player.
“I wasn’t thrilled, however, with another move the Bulls made. Which was signing Toni to a new deal for $26 million over six years, the largest in the history of the franchise,” Pippen wrote in his book. “It figured. They leave me underpaid year after year then hand Toni a fortune. First the last shot, and now this.”
Pippen’s highest salary with the Bulls was only $3.4 million in 1992-93.
In July 1991, Pippen signed a seven-year, $18 million contract with the Bulls. He could have made considerably more money in Chicago if he had played it right, but the small forward couldn’t risk passing up $18 million since he had to take care of his family.
Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and general manager Jerry Krause could have re-negotiated Pippen’s contract after the do-it-all swingman outplayed his deal and became a superstar.
However, they never did, tarnishing Pippen’s relationship with both men, especially Krause.
Once Pippen learned that Krause tried to trade him before the 1997-98 NBA season, he began to yell at the general manager on the bus in front of the team.
Pippen also underwent surgery on his injured ankle during the 1997-98 season instead of the previous offseason as his way of thumbing his nose at Krause.
In November 1997, Pippen publicly demanded a trade from the Bulls, stating he wouldn’t come off the injured list until the team traded him. The NBA icon was upset that Krause wouldn’t pay him.
Pippen also knew the Bulls would break up after the season since Phil Jackson wasn’t returning and Michael Jordan was a free agent.
The Bulls did not trade Pippen, who made his 1997-98 debut on January 10, 1998, against the Golden State Warriors.
With Jordan, Pippen, Kukoc and Dennis Rodman back on the court together, the Bulls were once again primed to win a championship despite all the turmoil behind the scenes.
The Bulls won 62 games in 1997-98 and defeated the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals to capture their sixth championship.
Jordan won his sixth Finals MVP by averaging 33.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in the six-game series, while Pippen averaged 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks.
The Bulls traded Pippen, who played through a painful back injury in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Jazz, to the Houston Rockets after Jackson and Jordan retired in the summer of 1998.
As part of the sign-and-trade deal, Pippen signed a five-year, $67.2 million contract, finally receiving the money he deserved.
Per Spotrac, Pippen made around $109 million in NBA money. Jordan only earned roughly $93 million, but he’s racked up a net worth of $3.5 billion thanks to his Jordan brand and other endorsements.
It’s a shame how the Bulls dynasty ended. Although the team won the 1998 title, they could have gone for a seventh championship in 1998-99 if Krause didn’t force Jackson to retire and mistreat Jordan and Pippen.
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