When a hall of famer talks, sports fans usually listen, and that’s definitely been the case with legendary Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen over the past few weeks. The former small forward, who recently released his memoir, has been sharing some brutally honest thoughts about his playing career, specifically his relationship with Michaell Jordan. All in all, he’s shared some highly debatable takes on his old teammate, which have Bulls fans talking. Amid the basketball talk though, Pippen has also shared a hot take on NFL quarterback Tom Brady that may stir up discussions among football aficionados.
Most fans view Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback to ever set foot on a football field and, today, many still consider him to be the league’s top player. Scottie Pippen, however, doesn’t know if he can give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player that title. Pippen can acknowledge the fact that Brady has earned more than his fair share of Super Bowl wins. But given how football teams are made up, he’s not so sure the quarterback can be considered the best player:
It's hard to place Tom Brady at the top of the NFL, even though he's won a lot of championships. There are almost 70 players on each team, so is he playing on every side of the football? Is he on kickoff? Is he on the punt returns? Because if he ain't playing all them roles, then he got to give credit to his team.
The former Bulls player made this point while explaining to GQ Sports that he finds it hard to place himself in the all-time NBA rankings. To be completely honest, he does make an interesting point. The basketball veteran seemed to be referring to the best all-around players when discussing rankings and, given that football positions are so specific, it could be a little harder to definitively say who the best is. Nevertheless, many would still likely agree that Tom Brady still stands amongst the best QBs in the league right now, even at the age of 44.
All things considered, Scottie Pippen’s sentiments regarding the Bucs’ quarterback are very tame compared to what he’s said about Michael Jordan. In his new book, Unguarded, Pippen expressed his disdain for the ESPN docuseries The Last Dance, which he claims Jordan used to “glorify” himself. He went on to say that the show was just an attempt by the Jordan Brand founder to prove to this generation that he’s a better player than LeBron James. He also asserted his belief that Jordan “ruined” basketball, as he believes many aspiring players stop playing team basketball after Air Jordan came onto the scene.
His comments have since drawn the attention of some of his basketball contemporaries. Kenny Smith spoke to the player’s blunt thoughts on The Last Dance and asserted that the show did not present a “fictitious” story. Fellow Inside the NBA star Charles Barkley, on the other hand, claimed that his Dream Team teammate is only making these major statements in order to help with his book sales. Barkley also chastised the former athlete for airing his views in a book as opposed to discussing them in an open setting.
Former Chicago Bull Scott Williams also spoke on the controversy, during which he named Michael Jordan as a better teammate than Scottie Pippen. Williams noted that he and Jordan still touch base from time to time and claimed that Pippen doesn’t text him back. Though ahead of the memoir, fellow Bulls alum Toni Kukoc praised Pippen as his favorite teammate. Kukoc has plenty of love for Jordan as well though, as the Space Jam star even enshrined him in the National Basketball Hall of Fame this year.
As Scottie Pippen continues to do press, one has to wonder if he’ll drop thoughts on any more of the biggest athletes in all of sports. Only time will tell, I suppose, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that is indeed the case. And who knows, fans may even get additional thoughts from him on Tom Brady after Man in the Arena, quarterback’s own extensive docuseries, finishes its run on ESPN.
Man in the Arena airs new episodes Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. And if basketball is more your speed, you can stream The Last Dance on Netflix and ESPN+ now.
