Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen both skipped the Chicago Bulls inaugural ‘Ring of Honor’ ceremony amid the team legends’ feud and ongoing romance between the former’s son, Marcus, and the latter’s ex-wife, Larsa.
The two six-time NBA champions both informed the team ahead of time, although no reason for their absence has been provided publicly. Jordan did record a video for the occasion, which was played for guests during the gala in Chicago.
‘I am so bummed that I can’t be there tonight,’ Jordan said in the video, which has since been shared on the team’s social media accounts. ‘Believe me, I am very grateful and very honored.’
The gala was also without retired Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman, whose absence actually was a surprise, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was admittedly hoping to see more attendees, but didn’t seem overly bothered.
Pippen (right) and Jordan (left) were feuding for years before the Larsa-Marcus romance began
Marcus Jordan and Larsa Pippen are pictured at BravoCon 2023 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas
Former Bulls star Dennis Rodman was mysteriously absent from the event in Chicago
‘I actually don’t know how much effort went into [bringing Jordan and Pippen to the event],’ Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf told the Sun-Times. ‘Obviously, it would be better if everybody were here, but we knew going in that not everybody could be here. I believe Michael recorded something.’
Golden State Warriors coach and former Bulls sharpshooter Steve Kerr did attend the event
Those who did show included former Bulls coach Phil Jackson, current Warriors coach and former Chicago guard Steve Kerr, as well as former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Toni Kukoc.
Things were fine between Jordan and Pippen in the year years after they retired.
Pippen described Jordan lovingly terms during his own Hall of Fame induction speech in 2010: ‘MJ, you have touched so many people’s lives, but none like mine. Thank you for being the best teammate; I will always cherish that experience and I will cherish our relationship forever.’
Similarly, Jordan credited Pippen for their six championships together in Chicago during his induction speech a year earlier.
‘In all the videos, you never just saw me; you saw Scottie Pippen,’ Jordan said. ‘Every Championship I won.’
Jordan and Pippen watch the Charlotte Bobcats take on the Bulls in Chicago in 2011
Toni Kukoc and his wife Renata (left) and Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf (right)
Bill Wennington (2nd-L) and family attend the Chicago Bulls Inaugural Ring Of Honor Gala
Their partnership is legendary.
Jordan was one of the NBA’s preeminent stars when Pippen was acquired by the Bulls in a draft-day trade in 1987. The problem was, despite his obvious gifts, Jordan had yet to win much of anything at the professional level.
Enter Pippen, a former 6-foot-1 guard who grew into a dynamic 6-foot-8 forward at unheralded Central Arkansas.
Pippen’s arrival in Chicago, coupled with Phil Jackson’s promotion to Bulls head coach in 1989, became the catalyst that turned a woeful franchise into six-time NBA champions.
Jordan and Pippen (left) talk strategy against the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 of the 1993 Finals
Larsa Pippen (left) and Marcus Jordan (right) are seen on May 7, 2023 in Miami, Florida
Not only did they win six titles together, but the pair remained fiercely loyal too.
In fact, in 2018, Pippen told ESPN that Jordan was ‘the greatest player to ever put on shoes and play in our game.’
He even backed off a comparison between Jordan and James: ‘I’m always asked to compare him to LeBron, and I try to make the best of it. But really, the comparison shouldn’t ever be made.’
More recently, though, Pippen’s praise of Jordan has descended into something entirely different.
The issues with Pippen began with ESPN’s ‘Last Dance’ docuseries, which aired in 2020 to wild acclaim.
The problem, from Pippen’s point of view, is that Jordan seemed to be credited for the Bulls’ success in the 1990s, while his teammates were seen as minor players.
‘They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates,’ Pippen, 58, wrote in his memoir, Unguarded, which was released in 2021. ‘Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn’t have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director.’
(From left) Rodman, Jordan, Pippen and Kukoc rest on the bench during a 1996 game at MSG
As a result, Pippen claims, the documentary felt inauthentic.
‘I don’t think it was that accurate in terms of really defining what was accomplished in one of the greatest eras of basketball, but also by two of the greatest players — and one could even put that aside and say the greatest team of all time,’ Pippen told The Guardian in December 2020.
‘I didn’t think those things stood out in the documentary. I thought it was more about Michael trying to uplift himself and to be glorified. I think it also backfired to some degree in that people got a chance to see what kind of personality Michael had.’
But Pippen may have a separate issue with Last Dance, stemming from the criticism he took from Jordan in the docuseries.
Specifically, Jordan took issue with Pippen’s reluctance to get a necessary ankle surgery before the 1997-1998 season.
Scottie Pippen takes a photo with Michael Jordan during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Although he eventually did undergo the procedure, he waited to do so until much of the off-season had passed, and as a result, did play until January.
And according to Jordan, Scottie’s reluctance to have the surgery came as a result of his contract dispute with Bulls general manager Jerry Krause.
‘Scottie was wrong in that scenario,’ Jordan said. ‘He could’ve gotten the surgery done as soon as the season was over and be ready for the season.
‘What Scottie was trying to do was try to force management to change his contract. Jerry wasn’t going to do that. So now I got to start the season knowing that Scottie wasn’t going to be around.’
As a result, the Bulls got off to a slightly disappointing 24-11 start that season, although they still went on to win their sixth title together.
Further complicating matters is the romantic relationship between Pippen’s ex-wife, 49-year-old Larsa, and Jordan’s 32-year-old son, Marcus.
‘Marcus and Larsa are dating and have been spending more time together in recent weeks,’ a source told Us Weekly in 2022 after the couple was spotted in public. ‘They are trying to keep it on the down low because of the rift between Scottie and Michael.’
Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan attend the inaugural We The Best Foundation Classic
Pippen and Larsa were married for nearly 20 years and had four children together before divorcing in 2021.
Larsa described their relationship candidly during an episode of Real Housewives of Miami, saying that the couple had intercourse four times a night for 23 years.
‘I was married for 23 years, I’ve always had sex like four times a night,’ she said. ‘So three times a week is nothing… I had sex four times a night, every night. I never had a day off for 23 years.’
When other cast members suggested that Marcus had ‘big shoes to fill,’ Larsa insisted he has nothing to worry about.
‘Well, he has a size 15 shoe so I think he’s OK,’ she said.
Things have apparently progressed with Larsa and Marcus.
In February, Larsa referred to him on Instagram as her ‘forever Valentine.’
Marcus Jordan has hinted that his dad could be his best man if he gets married to girlfriend Larsa Pippen – even though the relationship appears to have caused a rift with his father’s friend and Larsa’s ex-husband Scottie.
Speaking on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, alongside Larsa, Marcus said of his famous father: ‘I was the best man at his wedding and the best man at my brother’s wedding, so obviously, we’ll keep the tradition going.
‘I don’t think we have a concrete date. We’re still talking about locations and party size and all that stuff so it’s not really concrete yet.
‘We’re very private people, the Jordans, and so if it was up to me, I think we would do multiple weddings, one private for our family and friends and then maybe there’s one that’s a little more public but I guess time will tell.’
Larsa Pippen stuns ahead of press day with beau Marcus Jordan
Earlier this year, Michael was asked if he approves of his son’s relationship by paparazzi when he was filmed leaving a restaurant in Europe.
He shook his head and just said: ‘No’.
It caused a huge embarrassment for Larsa, who addressed his comments on her ‘Separation Anxiety’ podcast that she hosts with Marcus.
‘Oh my God, I was traumatized. I kind of felt like it went everywhere and I was kind of like embarrassed,’ she said.
As was the case with Jordan’s feud with rival Isiah Thomas during their playing days, or his recent friction with long-time friend Charles Barkley, the Hall of Famer has avoided speaking publicly on the matter.
