Are Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen Still Close After ‘The Last Dance?’

landmarkmedia/Shutterstock: Michael Jordan, a great basketball player

Saying that Michael Jordan is one of basketball’s greatest players is an understatement. His legacy is untouchable with six titles, five MVP awards, and many other honors.

Whether or not you’re a basketball fan, chances are you’ve watched and loved ‘The Last Dance’ on ESPN. The entertaining 10-part sports documentary covers Jordan’s life during the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls season. It also delves into his relationship with his teammates, especially fellow Bull, Scottie Pippen.

Jordan played a huge part in the making of the series. While he expressed a lot of admiration for Pippen and gave him credit for teaching him a lot, the documentary also covered the disagreements they’ve had.

Jordan called Pippen’s decision to have ankle surgery right before the 1997-98 season ‘selfish’ as it caused him to miss nearly half the year. He also cast a doubting eye on Pippen’s migraine, which compromised his performance in the 1990 Eastern Conference finals, causing the Bulls to lose. There was also a lengthy segment devoted to Pippen’s decision not to re-enter Game 3 of Chicago’s 1994 Eastern Conference semi-final series after Toni Kukoc was given the final shot over him.

Jeff Haynes/Getty: Jordan and Pippen on the court

Still, he couldn’t deny that the two were amazing together. He even went on to call Pippen his best teammate of all time. That’s saying something! However, the documentary was bound to leave a trail of anger in its wake. According to David Kaplan, Scottie Pippen is very unhappy with how he was portrayed in the series, and he’s not the only one. As noted by fans and critics, the show relies too much on Jordan’s perspective. That’s not exactly surprising, considering he had editorial control of the production.

The duo hasn’t spent a lot of time together in recent years. They did, however, briefly reunite in July 2017 at a Jordan’s Flight School camp event. Scottie even posted an old photo of MJ and him on Instagram on Jordan’s 57th birthday. The caption read, ‘Happy birthday to my brother.’

In June 2020, Scottie posted the famous photo of an exhausted MJ leaning on him after the Bulls victory against the Jazz.  Was he indicating that all’s well between them? Guess we’ll never know.

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press: Jordan and Pippen are probably still friends

These two great players have been through a lot in their careers, and while the documentary has certainly made a dent in their friendship, the once strong bond is sure to bounce back. After all, Michael and Scottie will always remain basketball’s iconic duo!