LeBron James’ Agent Thinks Scottie Pippen Was a More “Impactful” Player Than Michael Jordan

Rich Paul argued Michael Jordan would have gone 0-6 in the NBA Finals without Scottie Pippen.

LeBron James’ Agent Thinks Scottie Pippen Was a More “Impactful” Player Than Michael Jordan

Rich Paul on Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Rich Paul claims Scottie Pippen was more impactful than Michael Jordan on the Bulls' success.
  • He argues that without Pippen, Jordan would not have won any championships.
  • Fans have reacted strongly, with many disagreeing and defending Jordan's legacy.

Michael Jordan is often labeled by many within the NBA community as the greatest player of all time. He transcended basketball and globalized the sport like no one else.

Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984, Jordan went on to win six championships, six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs, and 10 scoring titles. However, Jordan’s success in the playoffs began when Scottie Pippen joined the Bulls in 1987. Prior to his arrival, Jordan had never made it past the first round of the playoffs.

LeBron James’ longtime friend and agent, Rich Paul, strongly pushed back against the idea that Pippen’s six championships should be viewed differently from Jordan’s.

I think Scottie’s rings are the same as Michael Jordan’s. He was the most impactful player on the team! If you unplug Scottie Pippen off that team, Jordan is 0-6. You can replace him with another All-Star, but just because someone is an All-Star doesn’t mean he’s Scottie Pippen. How many All-Stars are willing to take a back seat knowing who they are?

Rich Paul on Game Over podcast

During the dominance of the Bulls in the 90s, Michael Jordan was seen as “Batman”, while Scottie Pippen was often viewed as “Robin”. The two went on to form one of the greatest duos in NBA history. However, for all their success together on the court, the two have a strained relationship today.

Rich Paul has always been clear on where he stands in the GOAT debate. While Paul credited Jordan as the best player during the Bulls dynasty run, he argued that replacing Pippen with just any All-Star would not necessarily have produced the same results.

Pippen went on to have a Hall of Fame career and was included on the NBA’s Top 75 list. He even finished third in MVP voting during the 1993-94 season when Jordan temporarily retired.

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Fans react to Rich Paul’s statements on Scottie Pippen having more impact than Michael Jordan

There is no doubt that Scottie Pippen was instrumental in the Bulls’ six championships. But it is also a no-brainer that Michael Jordan was the best player on the team by a distance.

Rich Paul’s statements of rating Pippen over Jordan in terms of impact got social media buzzing in no time.

Several fans disagreed with Paul’s statements. It was definitely a hot take from the founder of Klutch Sports Group, but the fans called him out for downplaying Jordan’s impact and trying to portray LeBron James as the GOAT.

Kenny Smith was jealous of Scottie Pippen because he played with Michael Jordan

Both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen complemented each other very well. Neither could achieve what they achieved without the other. The two made history during their time with the Bulls.

Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan in the 90s
Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan in the 90s (Image via Basket Mix/X)

Kenny Smith, who was drafted in the same class as Pippen, revealed that he was jealous of the former Bulls star in the first six years of his career.

I don’t think I’ve ever said this, for my first six years I was always jealous of Scottie Pippen. I was so jealous because I was the sixth pick, he was the fifth. I visited Chicago. They brought me in on an interview. I was so jealous because I was like, I knew what he could do and bring out of you. So I used to look at Scottie and be so jealous of that.

Kenny Smith on The Pivot Podcast

Smith did go on to win two championships alongside Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994 and 1995. The two years when Jordan decided to take a break to pursue baseball.

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