Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen make decisions on Bulls’ Ring of Honor events
February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great Michael Jordan is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen will not be taking their opportunity to make peace with each other.
Justin Terranova of the New York Post reported Friday that Jordan and Pippen both individually decided not to attend the Chicago Bulls’ Ring of Honor festivities this week. The Bulls are establishing a Ring of Honor for the first time in their history and honoring numerous franchise greats as part of the inaugural 2024 class, including Jordan and Pippen.
Terranova reports that Jordan and Pippen both informed the Bulls in advance that they would not be attending. The third member of the Bulls’ Big Three in the mid-1990s, Dennis Rodman, was expected to be there but also no-showed.
The Ring of Honor festivities included a gala on Thursday and will continue Friday with a halftime ceremony during the Bulls’ game against the Golden State Warriors. Among those who attended on Thursday were Phil Jackson, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, and Ron Harper, Terranova adds.
For his part, Jordan released a video message wishing his fellow honorees well and expressing disappointment that he could not be in attendance.
Michael Jordan sent this message ahead of our Ring of Honor celebrations: pic.twitter.com/0HjOFFpXUj
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 12, 2024
Jordan and Pippen, the two most iconic players in Bulls history, have been embroiled in an ugly feud over the last several years. Pippen was reportedly livid over the way that he was portrayed in the Jordan-spearheaded ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance.” He has since gone on to take several petty shots at Jordan in the press.
There are a couple of other layers of drama here that may explain why neither Jordan nor Pippen is attending. Pippen used to be an ambassador for the Bulls but was fired by team in 2020. His ex-wife Larsa is also now dating Jordan’s son Marcus. While the two former co-stars may still bury the hatchet at some point, one member of those old Bulls teams is not convinced that they ever will.