Scottie Pippens picks himself ahead of LeBron James for a simple reason. Mandatory Credit: Fadeaway World
Mandatory Credit: Fadeaway World
It comes as no surprise that LeBron James is considered one of the greatest players of all time. From his numerous individual accolades and records to his longevity, James has formulated a compelling argument for himself in the GOAT debate. However, for someone like Scottie Pippen, James doesn’t even rank above him.
Scottie Pippen is widely regarded as one of the best small forwards of all time – an NBA legend in every sense. Although he doesn’t necessarily find himself mentioned in the GOAT conversation, Pippen has a very strong reason for considering himself ahead of LeBron James.
While speaking about the topic on an earlier episode of the PBD Podcast that is going viral again, Pippen stated:
Bet-David: “Would you put yourself ahead of LeBron as a team standpoint?”
Pippen: “ My success as a team is more successful than LeBron. I’ve got six rings.”
Bet-David: “Okay. So then, if I talk to an NBA owner… if I speak from an NBA owner standpoint and I want to find an all-around player to be my number one, do you think the average owner is going to pick you or LeBron?”
Pippen: “I don’t know… Do you want individual accolades, or do you want championships? Because I didn’t chase mine.”
For the most part, it still seems as if Scottie Pippen is taking a shot at LeBron James for ring chasing, a narrative that has received particular attention in the current context following his move to the Philadelphia 76ers. However, in the context of basketball being a team sport, Pippen’s argument begins to make sense.
Although Pippen made these comments over a year ago, the Bulls legend recently seemed to reiterate this point by tweeting six trophy emojis. Needless to say, the six-time champion still holds onto his opinion.
To be fair, at no point did Scottie Pippen refer to himself as the greatest, nor does he consider Jordan the only GOAT. Although he did explicitly mention himself ahead of LeBron James, the context was linked to his contributions to the Bulls and the importance of his role in lifting six titles. Realistically, it is difficult to dispute this statement.
As great as Michael Jordan was individually, he never made it past the first round of the playoffs until Pippen showed up. Once the forward paired up with the Bulls’ superstar, Chicago looked a lot more convincing as a threat in the East.
By the time the Bulls lifted their first trophy in 1991, it was clear that Jordan was the pillar of the franchise. However, without Scottie Pippen and a few key role players, the dynasty would have fallen apart right away.
Hence, from a team perspective, Scottie Pippen, for all his team accomplishments, may be viewed as a “better” player than LeBron James. However, if the conversation shifts toward who is a better basketball player overall, it is difficult to rank James below anyone other than Michael Jordan. Even then, that conversation paves the way for one of the most convoluted and heated debates within the NBA community.