Do Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have a chance to save their strained relationship? Ex-Bulls' feud continues but recent comments as well as Larsa and Marcus' decision to call off engagement has fans hoping for peace

Depending on when you ask Scottie Pippen, his former Chicago Bulls teammate Michael Jordan may nor may not be the best player in NBA history.

In 2018, Pippen told ESPN that Jordan was 'the greatest player to ever put on shoes,' before reversing course last year and telling ex-teammate Stacey King's podcast that the real GOAT, statistically speaking, is ' LeBron James.'

Pippen's fluctuating opinion could be chalked up to changing criteria (team success vs. individual achievements). But true fans know their relationship has been fractured since the release of ESPN's 2020 docuseries, The Last Dance. And the scandalous romance between Pippen's ex, Larsa, and Jordan's son, Marcus, certainly hasn't helped. 

The Michael-Scottie relationship seemed irreparably harmed until this week, when Pippen told Australia's Today Show that Jordan is 'definitely' the NBA's greatest, leading some to speculate that a reconciliation could be on the way.

'We gotta end this beef,' one fan wrote on X, while another added: 'Hope Scottie and Mike would patched up their differences soon.'

Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan attend a surprise birthday party for the former in 2012

The first Jordan-Pippen duo (left) is pictured alongside the second: Larsa and Marcus (right)

Things were fine between Jordan and Pippen following their respective retirements in 2003 and 2004.

Pippen described Jordan lovingly during his own Hall of Fame induction speech in 2010: 'MJ, you have touched so many people's lives, but none like mine. Thank you for being the best teammate; I will always cherish that experience and I will cherish our relationship forever.'

Similarly, Jordan credited Pippen for their six championships together during his 2009 induction speech and again in ESPN's 'Last Dance.'

'Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen,' Jordan said. 'Everybody says I won all these championships. But I didn't win without Scottie Pippen. That's why I consider him my greatest teammate of all-time.'

Their partnership is legendary.

Jordan was already one of the NBA's preeminent stars when Pippen was acquired by the Bulls in a draft-day trade in 1987. The problem was, despite his obvious gifts, Jordan had yet to win much of anything at the professional level.

Enter Pippen, a former 6-foot-1 guard who grew into a dynamic 6-foot-8 point forward at little-known Central Arkansas.

Jordan and Pippen (left) talk strategy against the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 of the 1993 Finals

Pippen's arrival in Chicago, coupled with Phil Jackson's promotion to Bulls head coach in 1989, became the catalyst that turned a woeful franchise into six-time NBA champions.

Jackson would adopt assistant coach Tex Winter's famed Triangle offense, which highlighted Pippen as the main facilitator on the perimeter. And although Jordan's scoring would suffer with the more methodical, efficient system, he would eventually embrace the Triangle as Pippen's career continued to ascend.

And with his increased importance, both offensively and defensively, Pippen took on a larger role in the locker room.

'Scottie was our team leader,' Jackson told Sports Illustrated in 1999. 'He was the guy that directed our offense, and he was the guy that took on a lot of big challenges defensively. He was probably the player most liked by others. He mingled. He brought out the best in players and communicated the best.

'Everybody says Michael [Jordan] was a great leader. He led by example, by rebuke, by harsh words. Scottie's leadership was equally dominant, but [his was] a leadership of patting on the back, of support.'

The Jordan-Pippen tandem was famously split by general manager Jerry Krause's decision to dismantle the Bulls after their sixth title in 1998.

Jackson landed with the Lakers in Los Angeles, while Pippen was dealt to Houston for Roy Rodgers and a future second-round pick. A year later, Pippen made his way to Portland and Jordan bought into the Washington Wizards before his ill-fated comeback with the team from 2001 until 2003.

Scottie Pippen takes a photo with Michael Jordan during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Former Bulls star Dennis Rodman said recently that he never saw Pippen and Jordan fight 

But although their working relationship was over, to fans and their former teammates, the pair would be linked forever.

'I never saw them fight,' a 62-year-old Dennis Rodman told Splash News of the Jordan-Pippen relationship back in October. 'Even after the season, I never saw that. They were always hanging out together, playing golf together, traveling together.'

Recently, though, Pippen has publicly soured on Jordan.

The problem, from Pippen's point of view, is that Jordan seemed to be credited for the Bulls' success in 'The Last Dance,' while his teammates were seen as minor players.

'They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates,' Pippen wrote in his memoir, Unguarded, which was released in 2021. 'Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn't have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director.'

As a result, Pippen claims, the documentary felt inauthentic.

'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 told The Guardian in December 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.'

Jordan and Pippen watch the Charlotte Bobcats take on the Bulls in Chicago in 2011

Pippen was further irritated that Jordan was given a reported $10 million.

'Michael received $10 million for his role in the doc while my teammates and I didn't earn a dime,' Pippen wrote in his memoir, adding that it was 'another reminder of the pecking order from the old days.'

But Pippen may have a separate issue with 'The Last Dance' stemming from criticism he took from Jordan in the docuseries.

Specifically, Jordan seized upon Pippen's reluctance to get a necessary ankle surgery before the 1997-1998 season.

Although he eventually did undergo the procedure, Pippen waited to do so until much of the off-season had passed, and as a result, did not make his return until January.

According to Jordan, Pippen's reluctance to have the surgery came as a result of his contract dispute with Krause.

'Scottie was wrong in that scenario,' Jordan said. 'He could've gotten the surgery done as soon as the season was over and be ready for the season.

'What Scottie was trying to do was try to force management to change his contract. Jerry wasn't going to do that. So now I got to start the season knowing that Scottie wasn't going to be around.'

As a result, the Bulls got off to a slightly disappointing 24-11 start that season, although they still went on to win their sixth title together.

Larsa Pippen (left) and Marcus Jordan (right) are seen on May 7, 2023 in Miami, Florida

Further complicating matters is the on-again, off-again romantic relationship between Pippen's ex-wife, 49-year-old Larsa, and Jordan's 33-year-old son, Marcus.

'Marcus and Larsa are dating and have been spending more time together in recent weeks,' a source told Us Weekly in 2022 after the couple was spotted in public. 'They are trying to keep it on the down low because of the rift between Scottie and Michael.'

Pippen and Larsa were married for nearly 20 years and had four children together before divorcing in 2021.

Larsa described their relationship candidly during an episode of Real Housewives of Miami, saying that the couple had intercourse four times a night for 23 years.

'I was married for 23 years, I've always had sex like four times a night,' she said. 'So three times a week is nothing... I had sex four times a night, every night. I never had a day off for 23 years.'

Marcus Jordan has hinted that his dad could be his best man if he gets married to Larsa.

Speaking alongside Larsa on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, Marcus said of his famous father: 'I was the best man at his wedding and the best man at my brother's wedding, so obviously, we'll keep the tradition going.'

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan attend the inaugural We The Best Foundation Classic

The elder Jordan has been less enthusiastic.  

Earlier this year, Michael was asked if he approves of his son's relationship by paparazzi as he was leaving a restaurant in Europe.

He shook his head and just said: 'No'.

It caused a huge embarrassment for Larsa, who addressed his comments on her 'Separation Anxiety' podcast that she hosts with Marcus.

'Oh my God, I was traumatized. I kind of felt like it went everywhere and I was kind of like embarrassed,' she said.

More recently, Marcus and Larsa reportedly called off their engagement only to rekindle their romance shortly thereafter.

'They realized after a few days apart they want each other in their lives and are now working things out,' a source told Entertainment Tonight.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said Pippen was about to 'embarrass himself' in Australia

But fans and friends are obviously more invested in Scottie and Michael's relationship than Larsa and Marcus'. The problem for curious onlookers is that Jordan is so intensely private.

As was the case with Jordan's feud with rival Isiah Thomas during their playing days, or his recent friction with long-time friend Charles Barkley, the Hall of Famer has avoided speaking publicly on the matter.

Instead, figures such as Rodman and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith have appointed themselves to read the tea leaves for the public.

'It's just a lot of things that's happened over the last couple of years,' Rodman told Splash News in October. 'So, I think Scottie's a little bitter and Michael's more laid back and say, ''Okay, like whatever,'' but they're gonna work it out.'

Smith disagrees.

'I can assure you that relationship is dead,' he said on his podcast back in October. 'Michael Jordan may be cordial; Michael Jordan might be complementary of the things Scottie Pippen did for him as a teammate. Michael Jordan may never fail to recognize Scottie Pippen's greatness and the fact that he may not have won six championships without Scottie Pippen's assistance.

'I've known MJ for many years, I consider him a friend and a brother... Nah, it ain't going down like that. Scottie Pippen was overly sensitive to the Last Dance,' Smith continued. 'Scottie Pippen clearly harbored a level of bitterness that he had held inside for quite a long time.'

Both men skipped the Bulls' inaugural Ring of Honor ceremony in January and this month, Pippen appeared to put hammer the final nail into the proverbial coffin by launching his 'No Bull' tour in Australia with former teammates Horace Grant and Luc Longley.

The speaking engagements appeared to be an attempt by three of Jordan's ex-teammates to dispute his legacy with the Bulls.

'Scottie Pippen is going to embarrass himself,' Smith said on Friday's episode of 'First Take'.

'Everybody knows he's not Michael Jordan, he never was. And the fact of the matter is, no matter what he is offended by, the facts were the facts.'

Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Luc Longley speak ahead of their 'No Bull' tour in Australia

But not everyone seeks to deify Jordan the way so many in the media have.

Former NBA center Kendrick Perkins pushed back on Smith's assessment during First Take.

'There's three sides to every story,' Perkins said. 'There's Jordan's side, there's Pippen and his teammates' side, and then there's the truth. They could tell their side of the story.

'Let them tell they side of the story, because we wasn't there.'

The final chapter of the Jordan-Pippen saga has yet to be written, but if 'The Last Dance' is any indication, it will be MJ's version that gets adopted by history. After all, the public sided with him in his feud with Krause, who became so hated in Chicago that his widow was booed in January at the Bulls' Ring of Honor ceremony.

And while Jordan's relationship with Pippen is certainly more complicated than his beef with Krause, Jordan famously has a way of getting the final word on any subject. 

'The Last Dance was built to make Jordan look great,' Perkins said. 'That's why all these situations that's been happening - like the booing of Jerry Krause's wife that was unacceptable at the United Center - that's because of The Last Dance.'