Scottie Pippen is widely regarded as one of the best two-way players in NBA history, but NBA agent Rich Paul believes Michael Jordan’s running mate deserves even more credit than he gets.
Paul, the agent of LeBron James and other NBA stars, said on his podcast, Game Over, that Jordan wouldn’t have won any championships without Pippen.
“If you unplug Scottie Pippen from that team, Jordan’s 0-for-6,” Paul said. “… You could replace him with another All-Star, but just because it’s an All-Star doesn’t mean it’s Scottie Pippen… You’re talking about a guy that’s 6’9″ who plays both sides of the ball. He’s got a 7’3″ wingspan, he can initiate the offense. You had three guys on that team that were on the All-Defensive Team.”
Pippen is a seven-time All-Star who made several All-NBA and All-Defense teams, so he was a star in his own right. While Jordan was the undisputed center of the team, Pippen was also a major reason for the Bulls’ success in the 1990s.
To say that Jordan never would have won a ring might be a bit of a stretch, but he probably wouldn’t have had as much success if Pippen weren’t around.
