Ex-Teammate Makes Shocking Claim About Scottie Pippen Regarding Michael Jordan

Former NBA player Craig Hodges did not hesitate or pause to collect his thoughts when he proclaimed that Scottie Pippen was “no less” of a player than Michael Jordan.

Hodges, a three-time winner of the NBA’s Three-Point Shooting Contest, played four seasons with Pippen and Jordan with the Chicago Bulls and had a closeup view of Pippen’s impact on the Bulls.

In a recent interview with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, Hodges offered a startling perspective on Pippen.

“I tell people all the time ‘MJ was MJ’, but at the same time, I don’t think Scottie was any less of a player than Michael at any point and time,” Hodges told Robinson. “I’ve seen Scottie guard Michael in practice. I knew what potential was there. He guarded (Los Angeles Lakers star Johnson) Magic. So we knew what he was capable of doing on both sides of the basketball. Nobody was more of an unselfish player than Scottie Pippen.”

Hodges will likely get some pushback on trying to put Pippen and Jordan on the same level, but Jordan has often said the Bulls would not have six NBA championships without Pippen, who was named to the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players team in 1996.

Pippen was a seven-time All-Star, a three-time first-team All-NBA selection and an eight-time first-team member of the NBA’s All-Defense team. 

The Hall of Fame swingman was side-by-side with Jordan during the Bulls’ championships era, including playing all 82 games in three consecutive seasons in 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92. Jordan played in all 82 games in 1989-90 and 1990-91. He missed two games in 1991-92.

Pippen’s durability early in his career is one of the factors for Hodges’ high praise of his former teammate.

“It was a certain way he played,” Hodges said of Pippen. “And then on the other side of the ball, he could defend the most potent player. Scottie had a certain range in the game that I don’t see many players with today, especially from a fundamental end. I was blessed to be able to see the development on a professional level. I don’t know how much time he put in at Central Arkansas, high school, or whatever, but when he got with us, it was a constant growth process.”

Pippen’s best season with the Bulls was in 1993-94 during Jordan’s brief retirement. Pippen averaged 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.9 steals.

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