Co-author of Scottie Pippen’s book: ‘[Michael] Jordan won 1 playoff game in his career with the Bulls when Scottie Pippen wasn’t there’

Brad Sullivan
2 Min Read
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Arkush, co-author of Scottie Pippen’s new book Unguarded took a shot at Michael Jordan by pointing out that Jordan’s postseason success got a huge boost from Pippen’s presence.

Arkush spoke with William C. Rhoden of The Undefeated and noted Jordan’s minimal number of wins with the Chicago Bulls without Pippen.

“Jordan won one playoff game in his career with the Bulls when Scottie Pippen wasn’t there,” Arkush said.

The biting comment by Arkush continues what’s been a series of biting remarks from Pippen toward his former teammate. During their time together, the pair led the Bulls to six NBA titles.

Jordan’s defenders will most likely point out that Jordan’s postseason struggles came during the first three years of his legendary career.

During those three years, the Bulls lost a 3-1 playoff series to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1985, followed by consecutive 3-0 sweeps by the Boston Celtics the next two years.

In the latter two cases, Boston went on to win the 1986 NBA title and reached the 1987 finals. In contrast, Jordan’s Bulls were in the early stages of building what became a dynasty during the ’90s.

Pippen was drafted by the Bulls in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas.

Despite coming from a small school, Pippen soon developed into a star player who ultimately was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Controversy is something that will always raise interest when it comes to selling books, which is why the series of shots taken at Jordan continue to be delivered. In this particular instance, some perspective about Jordan from Pippen’s co-author is something that he should consider.

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Brad has written on a variety of both NBA and NFL topics and has worked previously as a sports information director at the collegiate level. A lifetime fan of sports, he's witnessed countless great moments in different sports and understands that stories can be compelling from both the perspective of winners and losers. As a frustrated fan of Cleveland sports, he experienced something unprecedented when the Cavaliers won the city's first championship in 52 years.