Chicago Bulls legend and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen was a significant subject of the second part of ESPN"s "The Last Dance" documentary that debuted Sunday night.
On Monday, one of Pippen's former teammates had high praise for the forward. Dennis Rodman, who won three rings with the Bulls during the 1990s, complimented Pippen during a "First Take" segment.
"When Michael Jordan left in '93 ... Scottie Pippen was the best player in the world."
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 20, 2020
—Dennis Rodman pic.twitter.com/AppK0XjHTt
After Michael Jordan began his first basketball retirement ahead of the 1993-94 NBA season, "Scottie Pippen was the best player in the world," Rodman said. "He led the team in every category."
The first year without MJ by his side, Pippen was Chicago's leader in scoring, assists, steals, and converted three-pointers. Pippen repeated that production the following campaign.
Jordan returned to the Bulls in March 1995, and he guided the team to a second championship three-peat through the end of the 1997-98 season.
One subject touched upon during "The Last Dance" was Pippen's acceptance of a seven-year contract worth $18 million that remains one of the best steals ever pulled off by any franchise. Early Sunday morning, Larsa Pippen, Scottie's ex-wife, had some fun regarding that situation via Twitter:
Thx for your concern Scottie did ok #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/SFbo04uOLP
— Larsa Pippen (@larsapippen) April 20, 2020
As Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports wrote, Pippen said on an edition of the Thuzio Live & Unfiltered podcast that was recorded ahead of this year's NBA All-Star Game that the Bulls had released him from his role as a club ambassador. He is one of four players to have his number retired by the Bulls.
This month, the Bulls have hired Arturas Karnisovas to be the team's executive vice president of basketball operations and parted ways with general manager Gar Forman. Chicago missed the postseason in four of the past five seasons.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!