Scottie Pippen Said He and Michael Jordan Weren't Cool in the Beginning

Pippen recently revealed that he and Jordan barely spoke in the beginning.

January 10, 2018

Spoiler alert: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen got a lot of money together during their epic run as champions during the '90s on the Chicago Bulls. They won six NBA titles together, solidifying their status as true legends and icons in the sport. They'd grown as men together, and have no doubt become friends and confidants over the years. That doesn't mean they were cool from the rip, which Scottie revealed this week on ESPN's The Jump.

This revelation was sparked during a conversation about DeMar Derozan's remarks about Kyle Lowry on the Woj podcast. Derozan said he and Lowry weren't even on speaking terms during their first season together. This obviously isn't the case now, as these two have become a force in Toronto. Pippen wasn't surprised about the admission, and spoke on how he felt the same way with Jordan.

"That's pretty common," Pippen explained after saying that most players, after being around so much on the court, need their own space off of the court. Going into his own time as an NBA All-Star, Pippen says that he was "in that same situation. My first few years with Michael Jordan, I never hung out with him. I never had his phone number. He was at another level when I came into the league."

Pippen went on to explain that "Michael Jordan was already a megastar" when he entered the NBA, and that there was "no bonding or relationship my first almost two years there." Pippen also says that there was a similar situation with Dennis Rodman, but says their relationship "never really came around" compared to his time with Jordan.

Again, none of this should be surprising, and one has to imagine that the more these players succeed together, the closer they grow, both on and off the court.