It’s been a few years since the (one-sided) feud between former Chicago Bulls players Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan began. Some fans may still be hoping for a reconciliation, but it seems the two are currently still on the outs. Since Pippen called out Jordan over ESPN’s The Last Dance in 2021, the two apparently haven’t spoken. It would seem that at the very least, however, they could be in the same place soon. They’re both set to receive a tremendous honor on the same night, which means they might meet up. On that note, Charles Barkley shared some savage thoughts on the prospect of that happening.
It was confirmed a few days ago that both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are set to be inducted into the Bulls’ newly established Ring of Honor on January 12. Also among the honorees, per Bulls News, are Phil Jackson, late team general manager Jerry Krause and the organization’s entire 1995-1996 roster. So it sounds like there are going to be a lot of former players at the United Center for the private gala and halftime ceremony that night. And Charles Barkley is hoping to be there, if only just to watch any potential fireworks. The “Round Mound of Rebound” spoke about the event when he appeared as a guest on The Dan Patrick Show. After expressing disbelief over Pippen and Jordan being honored on the same night, Barkley had this to say:
You know what? I gotta go!. … I’m just gonna sit back in the corner and stare. .. Please, please don’t have it [on] a night I have to work, because I want to go there and be a fly on the wall.
Leave it to the former NBA MVP to be so brutally honest and not contain his enthusiasm about possibly seeing his former Dream Team cohorts crossing paths. The Inside the NBA host, who signed an extension in 2022, sounds very serious about this though and, interestingly enough, he may be able to go. Later in the interview (which was shared to X), the former Phoenix Sun learned that January 12 is on a Friday, so he’ll be free to attend. He then weighed in on how everything might go down and talked about that night’s matchup, which will see the Bulls play the Golden State Warriors:
I’m telling you something. I’m gonna to have to go to Chicago that day just to see it. I mean, you talk about weirdest, uncomfortable… Uncomfortable won’t do it justice. … Nobody’s going to see the Warriors against [the] Bulls. But everybody’s going to have their cameras focused on [Jordan and Pippen].
Though he initially claimed he wasn’t displeased with The Last Dance docuseries, Scottie Pippen later shared blunt thoughts about it in his memoir, Unguarded. He accused Michael Jordan of using it to prop himself up and not giving due credit to his teammates. Since then, Pippen hasn’t held back when discussing his former on-court partner, who he won six championships with in the ‘90s. He not only said that Jordan “ruined” the game of basketball but also called him a “horrible” player. The situation has also been made even more awkward because, in the time since this all started, Larsa, Scottie’s ex wife, is now dating Marcus, Jordan’s son.
Charles Barkley clapped back at Scottie Pippen for his comments early on. At the time, he accused Pippen of dishing out hot takes merely for the sake of selling his book. Weeks later, Barkley shared more thoughts, during which he doubled down on his belief that the former Bull was trying to raise his sales. The former baller, who admitted that he hadn’t read the biography at that point, also questioned whether Pippen could’ve articulated his thoughts in a manner that was more civil.
The question now, though, is whether the two NBA legends will both be present for the occasion and can be civil if they see each other. There’s honestly no telling what might go down at the United Center on January 12. But ahead of that, it seems clear that Charles Barkley is going to do what he can to ensure that he’s in the building.