Amid Michael Jordan And Scottie Pippen’s Feud, A Former Teammate Weighed In On Their Skills

It’s been a few years now since the (mostly one-sided) feud between former Chicago Bulls players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen began, and they still don’t appear close to a reconciliation. This situation all began in earnest back in 2021 when Pippen shared blunt thoughts on The Last Dance (ESPN’s acclaimed docuseries). Since then, the two reportedly haven’t spoken but, at the same time, many of their ex-teammates have shared their experiences with them. And Ron Harper is now one of the latest to share memories.

Harper played for the Bulls from 1994 to 1999 and, as a result, he was a member of the team’s three championship teams in ‘96, ‘97 and ‘98. In that time, Harper – who played the shooting guard and point guard position – was able to spend a bit of time with Pippen and Jordan. Harper appeared on the Cousins podcast and after, co-host Tracy McGrady mentioned to him that he heard Bulls coach Phil Jackson called Pippen a “better” player than Jordan, he shared this take:

Talk about some serious praise, though the “best small forward to ever play” comment certainly is reasonable. Pippen was a force on the court, and his on-court heroics have been well documented. A member of the basketball hall of fame, Pippen has long been revered as a key member of those championship-winning Bulls teams of the ‘90s, and he’s been named one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history. During his recent interview, part of which is on X, Harper showered even more praise upon Pippen:

Ron Harper is far from the first Bulls alum to share kind thoughts about Scottie Pippen. In 2021, Toni Kukoč praised Pippen, citing him for “taking care of the whole team” and “guarding” people on the court. Dennis Rodman also lauded Pippen’s skills and opined that Jordan needed him for those teams to be successful. Over the years, Jordan himself – who many have long argued is the basketball GOAT – has also complimented Pippen, who was alongside him for all six of those championship runs.

Pippen’s thoughts on Jordan have varied in recent years. When he initially shared his thoughts on Last Dance, Pippen blasted Jordan for allegedly using the Bulls-centric documentary to uplift himself instead of giving his teammates their due credit. Sometime later, the Arkansas native referred to Jordan as a “horrible” player. Though, amid the feud, Pippen has also said that if he were given the opportunity to play with MJ again, he would do it.

Considering where Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan currently stand, it doesn’t feel likely that they’ll reconcile anytime soon. At the very least, what can be said right now, is that based on their teammates’ comments, those players had a lot of respect for both Jordan and Pippen. You can check out the duo’s dominant run with the Bulls by streaming The Last Dance with a Netflix subscription now.