The relationship between Chicago Bulls legends Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan has been notably strained since their retirement from professional basketball.
This tension was palpably highlighted in 2021 when Pippen publicly criticized Jordan’s 1988 Defensive Player of the Year award, suggesting it was undeserved and highlighting issues with how defensive statistics were attributed during their games.
The critique was notably featured in an excerpt from Pippen’s memoir, “Unguarded,” where he shared an anecdote illustrating his grievances.
According to Pippen, there were instances where he felt he directly contributed to a defensive play, like deflecting the ball to Jordan, only to see the statistical credit, such as a steal, awarded to Jordan instead. He recounted a particular locker room incident involving a scorekeeper handing stat sheets to coach Phil Jackson, during which he observed what he perceived as preferential treatment given to Jordan, even quoting the scorekeeper telling Jordan, “See MJ, we take care of you.”
Further fueling this controversy, Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports conducted an analysis that supported Pippen’s claims by dissecting Jordan’s defensive statistics from the 1988 season. Haberstroh’s research revealed a significant disparity in Jordan’s defensive stats between home and away games.
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At home, Jordan averaged an impressive 4 steals and 2.1 blocks per game. However, these numbers saw a substantial decrease during away games, where he averaged only 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocks.
To provide a clearer perspective, Haberstroh adjusted these statistics to per-36-minute measures, which showed that Jordan’s combined steals and blocks—referred to as “stocks”—were 82 percent higher at home (5.5 stocks per 36 minutes) compared to on the road (3.0 stocks per 36 minutes).
This analysis suggested that there might have been an element of inflation in Jordan’s defensive statistics when playing at home.
During their illustrious careers with the Bulls, Jordan and Pippen won six NBA championships together and were both frequent contenders for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Their defensive prowess was acknowledged repeatedly, with both players appearing on the ballot multiple times and even tying in placement twice.
Despite this, Jordan consistently outplaced Pippen in the award considerations in five of the other eight years they competed.
This ongoing debate about Jordan’s 1988 Defensive Player of the Year award not only casts a shadow over what was one of the most celebrated defensive seasons in NBA history but also highlights the complexities of their relationship as teammates, marked by competitive greatness and underlying tensions.
