All I got was a few Tweets - a shockingly bare minimum (of criticism). I felt the same thing was going to happen here. ‘Don’t come to Chicago.’ I ended up scarred by that experience. “There was a lot of (controversial) stuff from the end of his life,” Pearlman says. In 2012, Pearlman wrote a book entitled, “Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton.” A few weeks before the unauthorized biography was released, Sports Illustrated ran a cover excerpt. You’re writing about a period of history. “I was nervous about what the blowback would be. … but the only thing I did was add the three-page author’s note (before the prologue). I’m not saying later on I didn’t think about that. “My first thought was how incredibly sad it was. “It definitely did not,” Pearlman tells me. Did the untimely death cause him to soften his commentary on the legendary Laker? Pearlman’s presentation reflected a good portion of the latter. Kobe Bryant - one of the protagonists in the author’s book about the Los Angeles Lakers of the late 1990s and early 2000s - was killed in a tragic helicopter accident.īryant’s story through those years was a mixture of overwhelming success and undeniable failure. I do get a commission if you use the links in this post.)Īs the manuscript was completed for “Three-Ring Circus” in early 2020, author Jeff Pearlman found himself in what some would consider a quandary. According to McGrady, he was flown out to Chicago for a workout in secret, but Michael Jordan himself "called and axed the whole deal.(To make it easy for you to buy any of these books if you are interested, I made each image linked to buying the book right on. During the '96-'97 offseason, Bulls' general manager Jerry Krause attempted to trade Pippen to the Toronto Raptors for the rights to high school prospect Tracy McGrady (above). Scottie Pippen's name was also constantly in trade rumors throughout the 1990s, most famously after winning his fifth title. Bulls management had refused to renegotiate the contract despite Pippen voicing disapproval throughout the decade, going so far as saying publicly he would not play for the Bulls while recovering from a foot injury prior to the 1997-1998 NBA season. 2 player on the team after Jordan, Scottie Pippen was the sixth highest paid player on the team and the 122nd highest paid player in the league. By the 1998 season, despite still being the clear No. A year after signing the contract, Pippen was the second highest paid player on the Bulls (behind only Jordan) and the 16th highest paid in the league. However, the contract he signed back in 1991 had finally come back to bite him. Scottie Pippen helped the Bulls complete their second three-peat in 1998. The "Migraine Game" led many to question Pippen's toughness and dedication to winning a championship. In the decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit, Pippen had one of his worst games as he struggled with a migraine headache in a losing effort. In 1990, with the recent death of his father in the back of Scottie Pippen's mind, he and Jordan led the Bulls to another best of seven series with the Detroit Pistons. The Bulls fell to Detroit in the 1988 and '89 postseasons. Detroit was led by Isiah Thomas (left) and Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly (right). The " Bad Boy Pistons" were known for their aggressive style of defense, a style that often left Jordan and Pippen (the Bulls' primary scorers) bruised on the court. However, playoff success and trips to the NBA Finals were snuffed by the Detroit Pistons for three straight years. By this time, the Bulls' squad routinely found themselves in the postseason. 8 pick and multiple draft picks over the next two seasons.īy his third year with the Bulls, Scottie Pippen made his first All-Star team and the team promoted assistant coach Phil Jackson to head coach. 5 and then trade him to Chicago for the Bulls' No. So they had the Seattle Supersonics agree to draft Scottie Pippen at No. Bulls' general manager Jerry Krause was building in the process of building a team with players that could complement the Bulls' young superstar, Michael Jordan. His numbers only grew his next two years, as did his height to a 6'8 frame.Įntering the 1987 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls saw Scottie Pippen as a talented prospect for their team but feared he would be gone by their pick at No. Combining his new body with the experience as a ball-handler and distributor during his time as the point guard, Pippen became the best player on the roster his sophomore year, averaging 18.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Remarkably, the 6'1 Pippen grew 5 inches before his sophomore season and began to develop his upper body strength as Dyer had instructed. Scottie Pippen joined the team as a freshman and averaged 4.3 points per game.
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