‘Michael Wanted Everything Done For Him, LeBron Does Everything’

In his book, NBA legend Scottie Pippen wrote that Michael Jordan “ruined basketball” and LeBron James “was the greatest player this game has ever seen.”

Pippen and Jordan won six championships together on the Chicago Bulls in the ’90s, but they are no longer on speaking terms. 

“I may go as far to say Mike ruined basketball,” Scottie Pippen wrote. “In the ’80s, on the playgrounds, you’d have everyone moving the ball around — passing to help the team. That stopped in the ’90s. Kids wanted to be ‘Like Mike.’ Well, Mike didn’t want to pass — didn’t want to rebound, or defend the best player. He wanted everything done for him. That’s why I always believed LeBron James was the greatest player this game has ever seen — he does everything and embodies what the game is truly about.”

After “The Last Dance” docuseries came out in 2020, Pippen began bashing Jordan. Pippen was frustrated with how “The Last Dance” turned out and portrayed him. 

Jordan had editorial control over the docuseries. 

“On and on it went, the spotlight shining on number 23,” Scottie Pippen wrote. “Even in the second episode, which focused for a while on my difficult upbringing and unlikely path to the NBA, the narrative returned to MJ and his determination to win. I was nothing more than a prop. His ‘best teammates of all time,’ he called me. He couldn’t have been more condescending if he tried.

“On second thought, I could believe my eyes. I spent a lot of time around the man. I knew what made him tick. How naive I was to expect anything else. Each episode was the same: Michael on a pedestal, his teammates secondary, smaller, the message no different from when he referred to us back then as his ‘supporting cast.’ From one season to the next, we received little or no credit whenever we won but the bulk of the criticism when we lost. Michael could shoot 6 for 24 from the field, commit 5 turnovers, and he was still, in the minds of the adoring press and public, the Errorless Jordan.”

Pippen and Jordan led the Bulls to a 6-0 record in the NBA Finals. They are universally recognized as the greatest duo in NBA history. 

However, according to Pippen, he and Jordan were never close friends. 

“Michael and I aren’t close and never have been,” Scottie Pippen wrote in his book. “Whenever I call or text him, he usually gets back to me in a timely fashion, but I don’t check in just to see how he’s doing. Nor does he do the same. Many people might find that hard to believe given how smoothly we connected on the court. Away from the court, we are two very different people who have led two very different lives. I was from the country: Hamburg, Arkansas, population about 3,000; he was from the city: Wilmington, North Carolina.”

The GOAT debate between Jordan and LeBron is among the most discussed topics in basketball discourse. It will likely never end. 

Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Bulls and Washington Wizards. He won five MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, six championships, six Finals MVPs, three steals titles and 10 scoring titles with Chicago. 

Meanwhile, LeBron enters next season with career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He’s a four-time MVP, a four-time champion, a four-time Finals MVP, a one-time scoring champion and a one-time assists champion. 

Michael Jordan is first in NBA history in points per game, while LeBron James is first in points.