Scottie Pippen Gives The Crown Of G.O.A.T Back To Former Teammate Michael Jordan

Scottie Pippen once picked LeBron James as the best player in NBA history before changing back to Michael Jordan

NBA legend Scottie Pippen put Michael Jordan back on top Monday after previously stating that LeBron James “will be the greatest statistical guy to ever play the game of basketball.”

Pippen was asked about different aspects of his 17-year career. Halfway through the interview, his former teammate Michael Jordan was brought up.

“He was the greatest player, definitely in basketball,” Pippen said when asked about Jordan. “For sure, I mean, you look at the MVPs that he was able to achieve.” 

Pippen also mentioned how it was a team effort for the Chicago Bulls to win six NBA championships during that era as well.

6-time NBA champion, 2-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is down under for the NBL finals tipping off tomorrow night! 🏀 #9Today pic.twitter.com/NhJsTbMTtI

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) February 26, 2024

The comments reflect the opposite of what Pippen recently said about the G.O.A.T discussion. In a May 2023 appearance on Stacey King’s "Gimme The Hot Sauce" podcast, Pippen called James the best. 

“And there's no comparison to him," Pippen said. "None. So does that make him the greatest player to ever play the game? I'll leave that up for debate because I don't believe there's a great player because our game's a team game, and one player can't do it.”

LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record just two months before Pippen made those comments. Pippen's opinion on the debate has varied in the past, flipping his answer multiple times.

Many felt it was because of their sometimes rocky relationship, which was publicly strained after the release of the Last Dance documentary in 2020. Pippen made multiple statements about Jordan before reconciling in early 2022.

Despite 1994 Playoffs Rift, Toni Kukoc Calls Scottie Pippen A Better Teammate Than Michael Jordan

Casey Fahrer is a contributor to Back In The Day. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.

You can also check out his personal blog HERE

Go check out his TikTok HERE