Scottie Pippen slammed Michael Jordan for calling him selfish: 'Selfish is retiring when it is too late for the organization to sign free agents'

Michael Jordan shocked the NBA world when, in an episode of The Last Dance, he called Scottie Pippen selfish for delaying surgery and demanding a trade from the Chicago Bulls during the 1997-98 NBA season. He said the legendary forward was "worrying about himself as opposed to what his word was to the organization, as well as to the team."

Pippen, however, fired back at Jordan in his book "Unguarded," calling his former teammate a hypocrite.

"How dare Michael call me selfish? You want to know what selfish is? Selfish is retiring right before the start of training camp when it is too late for the organization to sign free agents. When Michael put the Bulls in that position in 1993, Jerry Krause was forced to bring in a journeyman, Pete Myers, who had most recently played for a team in Italy," he wrote.

Leaving the Bulls high and dry

Pippen was expected to undergo foot surgery during the offseason but delayed the procedure until right before the start of the NBA campaign. When the season started, Scottie demanded a trade and vowed never to play for Chicago again. Ultimately, Pip returned to the Bulls, and they went on to win a sixth and final championship before "Jerry Krause destroyed a dynasty."

MJ, on the other hand, had been hinting at retirement as early as after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. However, he chose to return for the 1992-93 season to chase a historic third consecutive NBA championship.

Jordan said he was leaning towards retiring immediately after the Bulls completed the three-peat. However, he did not make it official until October 6, 1993, or one month before the start of the 1993-94 season, because he wanted to see if he would have a change of heart.