Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have apparently been on the outs over the past several years. A few years ago, Pippen shared some blunt critiques of his Chicago Bulls cohort and continued to drop brutally honest takes on MJ and his impact on the game of basketball. Other veteran players have since weighed in on the matter, sharing their thoughts not only on Pippen and Jordan’s skills but the chances of a reconciliation. With that, fellow Bulls alum Craig Hodges believes one detail changed the dynamics between his teammates.
Former shooting/point guard Craig Hodges is one of the many players to have shared the court with Air Jordan and “Pip” during their days with the Chicago Bulls. Hodges played for the team for four seasons, winning the championship titles with the squad in 1991 and 1992. During an episode of All the Smoke, Hodges was asked about the relationship between his former teammates. He subsequently theorized (as shared in an X clip) that their dynamic changed when a certain distinction was awarded to a number of players years ago:
Once Scottie became one of the 50th best [players of all time], his level of confidence – not necessarily the way he played – he was playing at Top 50 before then. He just didn’t know it, you feel me? He was under the influence of 23, that this is how you do it. … When he became Top 50, it became ‘[gestures like equal level] What? Let’s go.’ And I think, to some degree, that’s still there in that little rift they having.
In 1996, the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (as part of the league’s 50th anniversary) were announced, with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen being named amongst their ranks. The two were subsequently named to the 75th anniversary team in 2021 as well. What Craig Hodges is inferring is that once Pippen was named amongst the all-time greats, his confidence increased, and that apparently changed the big brother, little brother dynamic he seemingly had with Jordan on the court.
The two Dream Team members definitely don’t seem to have any kind of sibling-like relationship now. In 2021, Scottie Pippen blasted his former colleague over the docuseries The Last Dance (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription). He accused His Airness, whose production company had editorial control, of using the doc to “uplift” himself and not give other players the credit they deserved. Pippen also said his ex-teammate “ruined” the game of basketball and a few years later, called him a “horrible” player as well.
The former small forward has since received backlash for his comments, with Charles Barkley criticizing him for “big-game hunting” by taking those shots at MJ in his memoir, Unguarded. Late NBA legend Jerry West also questioned the critiques, wondering why the Arkansas native was “bothering” to feud with his old teammate. As for whether the two might reconcile, fellow Bulls alum Charles Oakley thinks it won’t happen. Craig Hodges remains hopeful, though:
Lord willing, it’ll come together, because everybody got children and grandbabies now. We too grown for that shit.
Scottie Pippen previously said he and Michael Jordan “never were great friends” and, at this point, the chances of them finding some common ground does admittedly seem slim. However, perhaps something could bring the two back together, regardless of the kinds of variables factoring into their relationship.
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