Scottie Pippen has been known to make outlandish statements in the past. Some of his most recent takes have got to be up there with the all-time worst things to come out of his mouth since retiring. Naturally, considering where this sentiment is being shared, those statements had to do with LeBron James.
LeBron has enjoyed arguably the greatest career in the history of the NBA. At worst, it is undoubtedly in the top three. Despite that, Pippen was confident in downplaying all of that. The Chicago Bulls legend made an appearance on the PBD Podcast to deliver a handful of ludicrous statements, including the atrocious take that will soon follow.
Pippen claims NBA teams would choose him over James
Patrick Bet-David, host of the podcast, asked Pippen who an NBA owner would choose between himself and James if they wanted to find an all-around player to be their number one guy. The six-time champion delivered an unsurprising, but disappointing response.
""[Do] you want individual accolades or you want championships? Because I didn't chase mine. "Scottie Pippen
If anyone is taking Pippen's words too seriously, it should be pointed out that the six-time champion also commented that he would still have all of those rings without having played alongside Michael Jordan. It feels worth questioning which of those two statements is more blasphemous.
The point of this written work is not too discredit Pippen's accomplishments as a player. The seven-time All-Star was a tremendous all-around talent and integral to the Bulls dynasty in the 90s. However, it is difficult to not believe that Pippen has a higher opinion of himself than most others would.
James and Jordan stand in a tier of their own at the top of most all-time rankings. Pippen undoubtedly deserves his place in NBA lore, but to invite himself into conversations with the two greatest players that have ever played the game is incredibly disingenous, to say the least.
Pippen will always be regarded as one of the greatest sidekicks in NBA history, an all-time great, and a superstar in his own right. However, someone who would probably fall between the 30-40 greatest players of all time does not hold his weight against the juggernauts he is attempting to include himself with. It should go without saying, but the 40-year-old phenom easily clears Pippen in almost any all-time discussions.