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The final two episodes of The Last Dance series aired Sunday, May 17, and for the most part, there have been positive reviews.
READ MORE: The last take on ‘The Last Dance’
However, some former Chicago Bulls players were not happy with the outcome of the docuseries. Horace Grant, who won three championships with Michael Jordan, called him a liar after Jordan alleged that he leaked info for sportswriter Sam’s Smith’s controversial 1992 book “The Jordan Rules.”
6-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, widely considered ‘Robin’ to Jordan’s ‘Batman,’ is reportedly “livid” about his portrayal in the series, according to CBS Sports.
According to ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan, Pippen “is so angry at Michael and how he was portrayed, called selfish, called this, called that, that he’s furious that he participated and did not realize what he was getting himself into.”
Jordan said he thought Pippen was selfish after Pippen’s decision to have surgery on a knee injury at the beginning of the 1997-1998 season instead of doing so in the offseason.
In episode 7 of the docuseries Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals was featured. The Chicago Bulls were playing the New York Knicks and the game was tied with just seconds left. Former Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson made the decision to let a European rookie, Toni Kukoc, take the shot instead of Pippen.
Pippen was so angry with the call he walked off of the court and sat on the bench. In the docuseries, several players expressed their disappointment in his choice.
When recalling that moment Pippen said, “I wish it never happened, but if I had a chance to do it over again, I probably wouldn’t change it.”
Grant had his own opinions about Pippen’s portrayal. In a BETonline.ag interview with Bill Cartwright and Craig Hodges, Grant said, “If it wasn’t for Scottie Pippen there would be no six championships. I’m telling you right now, guys. The first championship I think MJ got in foul trouble against the Lakers and who came to the rescue?
No. 33. Scottie Pippen. Scottie Pippen. Yes, he made a mistake. We addressed that after the game. And then it was over with and we took the Knicks to seven games. My question is: How in the hell did that get on this documentary when MJ’s a-s wasn’t even on the team.”
Dennis Rodman, who won three championships with the Bulls and two with the Detroit Pistons, also came to Scottie’s defense. Rodman told ESPN, “Scottie was so underrated — and so underpaid. He should be holding his head up higher than Michael Jordan in this documentary. I think a lot of people are now realizing what he went through. The kid was a hero, in a lot of ways, during those great Bulls runs.”
Scottie has yet to publicly respond, although The Last Dance has dominated the sports conversation especially with all four major leagues dark due to the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE: Michael Jordan series ‘The Last Dance’ crowned ESPN’s most-viewed documentary ever
“He felt like up until the last few minutes of Game 6 against the Jazz, it was just ‘bash Scottie, bash Scottie, bash Scottie,” Kaplan said.
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