by KingOfTheB
Posted 2 years ago
NBA Hall of Famer and Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen isn't holding back anymore when it comes to his feelings about the past. He's continuing to discuss his infamous decision to take himself out of a 1994 playoff game, and opening up more than ever before.
In that game, head coach Phil Jackson drew up the game-winning shot for Toni Kukoc. In an interview with GQ last week — the same interview in which he criticized Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons — Pippen said that he felt insulted disrespected by Jackson, but that's not all. He also said that he felt that Jackson denying him the final shot was a "racial move."
I don’t think it’s a mystery, you need to read between the fine lines. It was my first year playing without Michael Jordan, why wouldn’t I be taking that last shot? I been through all the ups and downs, the battles with the Pistons and now you gonna insult me and tell me to take it out? I thought it was a pretty low blow. I felt like it was an opportunity to give [Kukoc] a rise. It was a racial move to give him a rise. After all I’ve been through with this organization, now you're gonna tell me to take the ball out and throw it to Toni Kukoc? You’re insulting me. That’s how I felt.
Dan Patrick asked Pippen about the "racial move" comment in an interview on his show Monday, and Pippen didn't back away from it. In fact, he doubled down and called Jackson a racist instead of just implying it.
After Pippen said that he has no problem calling Jackson a racist, he used Jackson's relationship with Kobe Bryant as an example of how he took advantage of Black players. Jackson coached Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004, then left the team and wrote "The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul," a book about the tumultuous 2003-2004 Lakers that was very critical of Bryant.
Topic: Sports
Tags: Scottie Pippen Phil Jackson Chicago Bulls