My Thoughts On Scottie Pippen's Contract Situation In The Last Dance

The first two episodes of the Last Dance documentary premiered on ESPN last Sunday which had the internet world buzzin!

Being a 90s baby, it felt good to revisit some of the "glory days" of basketball. 

For many of us hoop fans, we already knew about the dynasty that was the Chicago Bulls in the 90s. 

We knew about MJ's introduction into the NBA and how he dominated from the jump.

We knew about Dennis Rodman's rebounding prowess and how he brought a unique flair to that team.

But what many people didn't realize was the animosity and discord that Scottie Pippen had with upper management. More specifically with Jerry Krause.

The story that wasn't really told prior to the documentary was the fact that even though the Bulls won the title in 98', Scottie was two seconds away from jumping ship.

In 1991, Scottie Pippen signed a seven-year deal for $18 million for what is considered to be an atrocious contract by many, especially since they won the NBA Championship prior to that year and he was coming out of his rookie deal.

During that 97-98 season, Pippen also openly berated Krause about this contract, which isn't professional in any organization, but truth be told, I probably would have lashed out the same way he did.

Over the life of that contract, Pippen won an Olympic gold medal with The Dream Team, went to six-straight NBA All-Star games, won the All-Star MVP award in 1994, was named All-NBA First Team three times, earned All-Defensive First Team honors every season, and won five more NBA titles.

I don't think anyone can doubt the fact that he was worth more than what he got.

But here's the underlying reason why Scottie Pippen gladly accepted that deal even though he was reportedly advised not to.

It all goes back to him doing what he thought was in his best interest. At the time, Scottie had to take care of his family (parents along with 11 brothers and sisters) so I'm assuming that taking what was on the table seemed like the best option. Being the breadwinner at such a young age equals a lot of pressure and responsibility that most athletes struggle to handle. 

All things considered, I really don't knock him at all. It was a shitty deal in hindsight, but we all have to keep in mind that this was before Google.com, or athlete empowerment for the matter. He was young and might not have had the insight or power to fight back. Furthermore, who knows how much trust he had in his agents.

There really weren't many options or resources for players as far as educating themselves and understanding their positions as professional athletes.

In the end, as he said he would, he got what he deserved when he signed a five-year, $67.2 million sign-and-trade contract with the Houston Rockets. He was traded again to the Portland Trail Blazers in return for six players after one year. Pippen made millions in his four seasons with Portland despite his diminishing impact.

Ultimately, he retired in 2004 and made about $110 million over his 17-year NBA career. Not to mention he had a few endorsement deals which provided a little more cushion.

Pippen might not have ended up becoming a billionaire like his partner in havoc MJ, but he damn sure made enough in career earnings to relax a little and kick his feet up.

What every athlete has to take from this situation is that you have to understand your value and how to communicate what you bring to the table.

We live in a time period where there's no excuse to not be empowered and knowledgeable. 

Deals are more open. Social media has given insight into everyone's life. We have more access than ever before. It's just a much different world than it was in the 90s.

Jordan and Pippen are icons because of what they did on the court, but also should be respected because of the mistakes that they made off of it which we can all learn from.

Scottie Pippen is an all-time great NBA player and whether we think he got what he deserved or not, he's paved the way for generations of hoopers worldwide almost as much as Jordan did.

That within itself deserves much love.

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