Rumors

LeBron James: When you talk about inspiration, there was nobody more inspiring to me than Michael Jordan. For me, I think our games would have complemented each other well. MJ was a flat-out scorer. He had a scorers mentality if I had to pick him. But I know I can't pick him because I know how social media works. You're gonna be like, "Oh, you want to play with Michael Jordan, too? You get to play with everybody else. God damn it." I didn't ask the question. I'm only answering it, guys. I didn't ask the question. But MJ was inspiration. Penny Hardaway was inspiration to me. Grant Hill was inspiration to me growing up. Like that point forward Scottie Pippen, that point forward. Guys like Penny, like Grant Hill, like Scottie, those guys kind of inspired me because I kind of wanted to be that point forward. I can see the headline already. LeBron wants to play with Michael Jordan. Like, I see it already. That's weird. Don't be weird. Don't be weird. Don't be weird. I was going to say Kobe Bryant, but I actually played with Kobe in the Olympics, so rest his soul. Great Kobe. Great Kobe.

YouTube

Scottie Pippen: Just watched an NBA Finals Game 7. Never been in one myself, though. Replying to the comments like ‘Y’all be blessed 🤣’ Congrats to the Thunder on the win! 🏆

Instagram

The Eastern Conference executive compared Flagg to Scottie Pippen when it comes to creating space on defense, praising his abilities to switch one through five, play across positions and blow up teams’ plays.

Dallas Morning News

PIPPEN WAS IN the final years of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers by the time Williams, 24, was born. But Williams is enough of a basketball historian to be flattered by the comparison. "I feel like a new-age Scottie maybe," Williams told ESPN. "I'm not mad at that one at all. I like that. And then obviously Shai gets a little Jordan comparison, so that's cool. It's very cool. Any time you compared to somebody like that, you're doing something right."

ESPN

"I don't even want to put a cap on him to say that he's going to be me," Pippen said. "I see him being greater, if I can say that. Just because of where the game is today. They have offensive freedom. We didn't have that. We mostly ran out of a system. These guys have the freedom to shoot 3-balls and things of that nature. Players that are playing in today's game have a chance to be better than players in the past because of the ability to shoot the ball.

ESPN

Lou Williams: I'm at war with so all of our nostalgia still being such a thing to us, right? We got to move on. Listen, can he have a great career like Scottie Pippen did? Absolutely. Scottie Pippen went on to make a ton of basketball. He went on to win a ton of basketball games outside of Michael Jordan when he went to Portland, Houston, and doing all of those things. Jalen Williams is paving his own path. So, I understand the comparison. I understand what he's trying to get off, but allow some of these, we got to start allowing these young guys in media with our opinions to create the best form of themselves. He's 24 years old. Allow him to create his legacy.

YouTube

Doc Rivers on Thunder: Our 2008 Celtics were tough, but I still… Listen, I played against all of them. And that one year with the Bulls, Ron Harper, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan. I mean, those are four elite, elite, elite defenders. I don't think there was a better defensive team than that with their size and quickness, but this team is similar. They rival it a little bit.

YouTube

To find the last defense that pressured every inch of the court as well as the Thunder, you have to go back to the prime 1990s Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Ron Harper. OKC’s ability to make teams uncomfortable running offense is historic, and Minnesota crumbled under that pressure all series. “It’s great to feel like you didn’t leave anything on the table,” Holmgren said. “And I feel like we did that tonight. We can always be better; we’re going to look and see how we can do better. But, overall, I feel like we were able to come out tonight and play a really good game. Everyone up and down the roster played well. It’s a lot easier on the nerves than the close games.”

New York Times

Gary Payton: Then I started playing, and I started feeling better and better. We were down too much in the series, and I just started saying: “Let me guard him.” And he [Jordan] was averaging 33 points at the time. Then I started becoming a pest for him. I brought it down to 23 points. And what do coaches do when they have a problem? They try to solve it. Jordan was starting to take it personally with me, which is what I wanted to happen. Then Phil Jackson said, “Nah, let me put somebody bigger on him and distract him—make it a problem.” And he put Scottie Pippen on me. Pippen is a bigger player than me—he’s 6'7", he’s mobile. And it started taking a toll on me— Trying to score and guard Jordan at the same time—it took a toll.

YouTube

Craig Hodges: I think he was better than MJ—just from a natural standpoint. You’re 6’7” with the same components, but not only is your right hand big, your left is that big too, you know what I’m saying? And you’re finishing with both equally like that. The difference was the level of confidence coming out. And so much, when we look at it—think about it: if you think about how many guys you played with—so much was given to them that it added to their confidence. Yeah, you know what I’m saying? So if I know I’ve got all these people behind me, all these people supporting me, then I’m going to go out and I’m gonna play a different way, as opposed to: I’ve got to prove to these people that I’m capable.

YouTube

Craig Hodges: Scottie and Horace, they used to keep things so lighthearted because they were silly young folks. But they played hard, and they got better every day. I think that’s the thing—Pip became better with every touch. And I think, you know, when they named him to the Top 50, it took his confidence to a different level. But I think he felt that MJ could’ve done more from a business side to help him, you know what I’m saying? From a side of saying, ‘All right—think of how many professional athletes today and from yesteryear who gave a piece of themselves contractually in order to keep my boy here,’ you know what I’m saying? And I think Scottie wanted a little bit of that to happen. And you know, sometimes… the friendship and… like—I saw a piece the other day where they were asking Scottie if he and Michael ever had dinner together. He was like, ‘No.’

YouTube

For years, there were whispers that Jordan and Pippen used that game to “send a message” to Kukoc over tensions with then-GM Jerry Krause. But Kukoc dismissed any notion of Michael trash-talking. “No I don’t think so,” he said. “Michael was one of those guys if you don’t wake him up, then he’s gonna play… but if you’re going to start talking trash to him, make SURE that you can cover it! Because if you can’t, he’ll hit you for 45-50 and make you feel each and EVERY bucket he scores.”

ScoopB.com

"So coming up and sort of growing up, was that difficult? Like how were you able to sort of find your own lane and stick to that?" Scotty Pippen Jr: "Yeah, I think it's difficult just because people just put, you know, a perspective on you on how they think you move and how they think you act just because of your dad. You know, I feel like we're seeing it with Deion Sanders and his son and then, you know, LeBron and Bronnie. Um, for me, I feel like it was tough just because I feel like I wasn't given fair treatment. People kind of just overlooked me because of my dad. I feel like the name might have hurt me more than it helped me sometimes, and it's unfair for us, but at the end of the day, I feel like we're all — the three, you know, kids you named — are doing well."

YouTube

Do you feel responsible for the "superteam" trend after you got LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join you in Miami? Dwyane Wade: Not responsible for a superteam. Maybe responsible for players getting together and making a decision. I don’t know what was done that preceded us. We definitely watched Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. We definitely watched Magic Johnson play with many great Hall of Fame players. We watched Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, and so forth. We’ve seen it before.

HoopsHype