It’s no secret that the relationship between Chicago Bulls legends Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan isn’t — and never really was — the strongest.
They respected one another and understood their roles as teammates with a shared goal of winning championships, which they accomplished during their time together in Chicago.
However, Pippen has been vocal over the years about not speaking much with Jordan anymore, especially after Netflix aired “The Last Dance.” The documentary didn’t sit well with several former Bulls players, who felt it focused primarily on Jordan rather than the team as a whole.
“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 said back in 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.”
Pippen is back in the headlines this month after it was revealed that he is auctioning off nearly $6 million worth of Bulls memorabilia from his playing days. The collection includes a pair of “Olympic” Air Jordan 7s valued at $2.5 million — shoes that were actually worn by Jordan during Team USA’s gold medal run at the 1992 Olympics.
Jordan later gifted the sneakers to Pippen, and they now headline “The Scottie Pippen Collection,” an online auction organized by Sotheby’s that runs from March 2 through March 10.
The shoes were worn throughout the Olympics and were gifted to Pippen after the United States defeated Croatia in the gold medal game. Both heels are signed by Jordan, a detail that has significantly boosted their value over the years.
Pippen said he felt the time was right to pass the items on to others who can appreciate both the pieces themselves and the history behind them.
“I’ve spent time with it, and I feel ready to allow others to continue the stories of these pieces,” Pippen said.