Not long after winning their third NBA title in a row in 1993, the Chicago Bulls got the shock of their lives when their resident superstar, Michael Jordan, announced he was retiring at the age of 30, citing the lack of drive to continue playing after having accomplished everything he could at the pro level.
This development left the Bulls in quite a pickle as they were left without their most potent weapon on both ends: a bona fide 30-point-a-game scorer who could lock down the opposing team’s best player. Luckily for Chicago, “Batman’s” departure paved the way for “Robin” to step into the spotlight. After years of playing in Jordan’s immense shadow, Scottie Pippen eagerly embraced the opportunity to lead the team.
A different kind of leader
While it could have been easy for the 6’8″ forward from Hamburg, Arkansas, to declare the team his and take all the shots as he pleased, Pip recognized that approach wasn’t what the team needed, nor was it the best way to move forward for a team that no longer had the “Greatest of All Time.”
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“I tried to give the basketball team what Phil wanted us to have. When Michael was there, he didn’t really want that one guy taking all the shots. He wanted the ball to be moved. He wanted his system to work. And that’s what I tried to provide for the ball club,” Pippen said.
“I didn’t want to be out there and be put in the position where I had to be the guy taking all the shots and shooting the poor percentage but still trying to create for the team. I wanted to see if our system could work. I feel like it would work for us in the previous championship games, and I had to be the guy to get everybody to believe in it,” he continued.
While Scottie-P had no issues taking responsibility for the team’s fortunes on the basketball court, dealing with the media was another story. When Mike was with the team, the media naturally gravitated towards him, leaving Pippen to happily scurry away.
“It was tough. You know, I really enjoyed the opportunity of playing with Mike and having him there. And when I wanted to deal with the media, I’d deal with it. And when I didn’t, I could sneak out — it was never brought up. But you know, after Michael left, it was kind of another job that was kind of pinned on,” Pip revealed.
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MJ watched from afar
Even while chasing his dream of playing professional baseball, Jordan said he kept a close eye on the Bulls and his former teammates. And even as the Bulls lost to the New York Knicks, 4-3, in the second round of the 1994 playoffs, MJ said he was proud of how Scottie and the team dealt with everything that season.
“Yeah, I watched a lot of it. I was very proud with the way they responded after, you know, what happened in the previous summer. And you know, Scottie’s game has evolved to where he deserves some of the light. I mean, for years that I was there, he never really got the focus that he deserved,” the five-time league MVP expressed.
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“I mean, he was a key catalyst to our success. And now, you know, he was getting the recognition that he truly deserved. But at the same time, he was the focus. And people were putting undue pressure on him off the court as well as on the court,” the legendary UNC guard continued. “And I felt it was a great learning experience for him to see exactly what I had to deal with for so many years. And I think it made him a better basketball player and a better person just to go through that.”
Pip finished that season averaging 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed as he finished third in the MVP race and was named to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team.
More than anything, he proved that he was someone who could shoulder the responsibility of being the team leader and perform at a high level under pressure.