NBA player agent Rich Paul shared a hot take on the Chicago Bulls, suggesting Michael Jordan would have won no rings without Scottie Pippen.
The Bulls won the NBA Championship six times during the 1990s, in 1991, 1992, 1993, and then again in 1996, 1997, and 1998. During each of those championship seasons, Jordan was named the NBA Finals MVP for his play during the finals.
But according to Paul, Jordan would have won zero of those championships without his teammate Pippen.
Rich Paul Shares Hot Take on Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen
Speaking on the “Game Over Podcast” with Max Kellerman, Paul shared his controversial hot take on Jordan, suggesting that if you took Pippen off any of those six Bulls NBA Championship teams, Jordan would have zero rings on his fingers.
“I think Scottie’s rings are the same as Michael Jordan’s. Why not? He was the most impactful player on the team. If you unplug Scottie Pippen off that team, Jordan’s 0-6,” Paul said.
The NBA player agent then shared his rationale for why he believes his hot take to be the truth.
“You can replace him with another All-Star, but don’t mean it’s Scottie Pippen. How many All-Stars are going to be willing to take a backseat (to Jordan)? This is where you gotta really dive into the type of player. You’re talking about an All-Star whose 6’9″, who plays both sides of the ball, he’s got a 7’3″ wingspan. He can initiate the offense. You had three guys on that team — Jordan, Pippen, (Dennis) Rodman — that were on All-Defensive teams. Three. Again, so you had two guys (Pippen and Rodman) you could argue are the best defensive players you ever seen,” Paul said.
Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen Complemented Each Other
While Paul’s hot take is sure to draw some eyebrows from Bulls fans and basketball lovers since he suggested Jordan would have zero wings without Pippen assisting him, there is no doubt he is correct in saying that Pippen was a major part of why the Bulls won six NBA titles, including two three-peats during the 1990s.
While Jordan scored over 30 points per game during most of those Bulls’ championship seasons, Pippen was adding over 20 points per game while also bringing elite defense to the field. So he absolutely contributed massively to those Bulls title-winning seasons, and he complemented Jordan extremely well.
Paul might have a point in that it’s hard for just one single player to win an NBA Championship, but Jordan might be the lone exception to that case. In most instances, teams need a superstar and then one or two more All-Star players to assist them to titles. Jordan might be the one guy who could have done it just by himself, but we won’t know because he did have Pippen alongside him for all of those championship years in Chicago.
Ultimately, both Jordan and Pippen are two of the greatest basketball players to ever lace up their shoes, and Bulls fans were incredibly lucky they were able to play beside each other for all of those epic title-winning seasons in “The Windy City.” They brought six titles to Chicago, and for Bulls fans, that’s all that matters.
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