ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary has shined a light on the drama that surrounded the 1990s Chicago Bulls dynasty. It turns out it has also created some new controversy, too.
According to David Kaplan of ESPN 1000, Scottie Pippen is furious with Michael Jordan over how he was portrayed in the documentary.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this. ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan wrote in early May that Pippen was “wounded and disappointed” by how the series made him look.
The documentary largely focused on Jordan as its centerpiece, which is understandable. The main focuses on Pippen came when discussing his 1997 contract dispute, which Jordan branded “selfish.” It also took an in-depth look at Pippen’s refusal to enter the final moments of Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals due to coach Phil Jackson setting up a play for Toni Kukoc instead of Pippen. In other words, neither of the main focuses on Pippen portray him in a particularly positive light.
While Jordan didn’t make the documentary, he did have the final say over what made it in. It may be that Pippen feels like he’s not getting his due and is made to look like he served too much of a complementary role to Jordan. Some of the comments made in the media probably haven’t helped either. Whatever the reason, the documentary certainly seems to have reopened some old wounds instead of healing them for good.
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