Scottie Pippen hasn’t been afraid to share his thoughts on a variety of topics surrounding the NBA lately.
In an extensive interview with GQ, published last week, Pippen characterized former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson’s decision to give rookie Toni Kukoc the final shot of a playoff game against the New York Knicks in 1994 as “racial.” The six-time NBA champion famously refused to go back in the game.
Pippen was asked to elaborate during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Monday. His response resulted in a further ripping of Jackson and eventually flowed into calling former teammate Michael Jordan selfish.
What Scottie Pippen said about Phil Jackson
Patrick explicitly referenced the GQ interview and Pippen reiterated that he felt he was owed the opportunity to try to win the game for the Bulls.
“Can I get one shot?” he rhetorically asked.
Patrick kept pressing on the racial point.
“Have you talked to Phil about this? By saying it was a racial move, then you’re calling Phil a racist.”
Pippen responded: “I don’t got a problem with that.”
Patrick: “Do you think Phil was? Or is?”
Pippen: “Oh, yeah. I mean, do you remember Phil Jackson went and left the Lakers, wrote a book about Kobe Bryant and then came back and coached him? Who would do that? You name someone in professional sports who would do that. I think he probably exposed Kobe in a way that he shouldn’t have.”
Patrick responded that, in his opinion, Jackson was disloyal, rather than a racist.
“That’s your way of putting it out,” Pippen said. “I have my way. I was in the locker room with him. I was in practices with him. You’re looking from afar.”
What Scottie Pippen said about Michael Jordan
Patrick then brought up how Jackson drew up a play in Game 6 of the 1997 Finals for Steve Kerr instead of Michael Jordan. Pippen corrected Patrick to say that the play was for Jordan, who had an exchange with Kerr in the huddle before that play.
“You know all those cameras sitting in the huddle, who they was working for? You know who Michael was speaking to when he said that? That was planned. That was speaking to the camera. …
“Had John Stockton not came down, trust me (Jordan would have shot). That was building his own documentary because he was controlling the cameras. …
“That was not naturally spoken. That was rehearsed.”
Contributing: Henry McKenna, For The Win
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
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