Scottie Pippen can say whatever he wants these days but he still regrets not listening to Michael Jordan’s advice about Charles Barkley. The Chicago Bulls’ dynasty ended in 1998. Jordan retired and the Bulls made a sign-and-trade deal with the Rockets, sending Pippen to Houston in exchange for Roy Rogers and a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft.
The Rockets formed their own super team. They had a Big Three of Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Pippen, so it was surprising to see a team with so much talent not being successful. One of the reasons why was that Olajuwon, Barkley, and Pippen were not in their primes, but what really hurt the Rockets was that Barkley and Pippen didn’t get along.
The Reason Why Pippen Clashed With Barkley
Pippen, who averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and two steals in 40.2 minutes over 50 games with the Rockets in the 1998-99 season, wanted out of the team because he thought that Barkley wasn’t dedicated enough to winning.
After a public argument with Barkley, Pippen wished he would’ve listened to Jordan, who reportedly warned him about Barkley’s commitment.
“I probably should have listened to Michael a year ago when he said that Charles never will win a championship because he doesn’t show any dedication,” Pippen admitted after leaving the Rockets in 1999.
What Went Wrong in Houston?
Teams can be extremely talented on paper but they can’t do well without teamwork. The Rockets went 31-19 during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season and the Lakers eliminated them 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs.
Then, Pippen requested a trade, and the Rockets sent him to the Trail Blazers for Stacey Augmon, Kelvin Cato, Walt Williams, Carlos Rogers, Brian Shaw, and Ed Gray on October 2, 1999.
Pippen and Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich were never on the same page, and he didn’t fit in the team’s low-post-oriented offense. Pippen often competed with Olajuwon and Barkley for looks at the basket. The six-time NBA champion became a spot-up shooter and the Rockets played at a much slower pace than he preferred.
Barkley thought that Pippen’s five-year, $67 million contract with the Rockets was possible because he took a massive pay cut. He also thought that Pippen owed him an apology for wanting out of Houston after just one season. Scottie Pippen didn’t like that one bit, saying he would never apologize to him.
“I wouldn’t give Charles Barkley an apology at gunpoint,” Pippen said. “So, he can never expect an apology from me. If anything, he owes me an apology for coming to play with his sorry fat butt.”
