Let’s make something clear from the get-go. If you’ve come here thinking this piece is in any way designed to knock Michael Jordan or to suggest Scottie Pippen was the better player, prepare to be disappointed.

The overall point here is to show just how much the two needed one another during the Chicago Bulls‘ six NBA championship runs in eight years in the 1990s.

Because let’s get real.

As great as Jordan was, he doesn’t win those six titles without Scottie. And as overall embarrassing as his Hall of Fame speech was, the five-time NBA MVP at least made sure to acknowledge that.

And Pippen, who never won a title after leaving Chicago and has to know he wouldn’t have a single ring without No. 23, did the same during his enshrinement. In fact, Scottie even had Jordan present him and dubbed MJ “the best teammate,” although Pip’s stance on his longtime running mate has changed drastically in recent years after feeling slighted during The Last Dance docuseries.

In this writer’s humble opinion, Pippen was indeed slighted during the documentary. But do I think he needed to take things to the level he did in the aftermath? Absolutely not. To call Michael Jordan a “horrible player” in any context is simply absurd. However, Pippen’s stance on Jordan not being able to take the Bulls to the next level until he arrived is accurate.

“LeBron James will be the greatest statistical [player] to ever play the game of basketball. [Michael Jordan] was a horrible player.”

– Scottie Pippen

(h/t @DieHardCBfans )

pic.twitter.com/8EN5xOpJOG

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 26, 2023

Once again, the two needed one another to win. It’s that simple. While Jordan was Option A from the moment he arrived in the Windy City, he didn’t have a truly strong Option B until Pippen came to town. And that’s with all due respect to guys like Orlando Woolridge and Charles Oakley in those early years of MJ’s career.

Once Pippen developed into an All-Star caliber player, the Bulls didn’t have to rely solely on Jordan to win games or playoff series. Sure, MJ still put up a lot of points, also upping his assists and rebounds as the years went on, and was a fantastic defender.

And while Pippen was never going to average more points than Jordan, his contributions in every other area were invaluable. In fact, taking into account the six postseasons that ultimately resulted in an NBA championship, Pippen led the Bulls in every category one would typically find on a standard stat sheet — minus scoring.

That’s right. In the 116 games Chicago played in those six postseasons, Jordan led Chicago in total points. And while there were certain series in which MJ led in other categories, overall, Pippen led the Bulls in total assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks.

Need the proof? Take a look.

1991: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks (3-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	87	18	14	8	2
Scottie Pippen	59	15	26	10	4

1991: Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers (4-1)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	167	39	40	9	7
Scottie Pippen	117	30	47	8	2

1991: Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons (4-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	119	28	21	9	7
Scottie Pippen	88	21	31	12	8

1991: Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers (4-1)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	156	57	33	14	7
Scottie Pippen	104	33	47	12	5

1992: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat (3-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	135	20	29	9	3
Scottie Pippen	72	21	18	7	4

1992: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks (4-3)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	219	30	40	10	8
Scottie Pippen	112	46	58	14	8

1992: Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-2)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	190	38	39	15	3
Scottie Pippen	119	34	67	11	9

1992: Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers (4-2)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	215	39	29	10	2
Scottie Pippen	125	46	50	9	4

1993: Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks (3-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	103	13	20	5	5
Scottie Pippen	46	16	12	6	1

1993: Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	124	21	20	9	2
Scottie Pippen	73	21	25	12	3

1993: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks (4-2)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	193	42	37	15	6
Scottie Pippen	135	24	40	11	3

1993: Chicago Bulls vs. Phoenix Suns (4-2)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	246	38	51	10	4
Scottie Pippen	127	46	55	12	6

1996: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat (3-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	90	8	11	5	1
Scottie Pippen	59	21	34	9	5

1996: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks (4-1)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	180	22	24	9	1
Scottie Pippen	78	26	41	16	2

1996: Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic (4-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	118	19	22	9	3
Scottie Pippen	74	28	29	8	1

1996: Chicago Bulls vs. Seattle Supersonics (4-2)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	164	25	32	10	1
Scottie Pippen	94	32	49	14	8

1997: Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Bullets (3-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	112	16	17	4	1
Scottie Pippen	50	9	26	4	4

1997: Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks (4-1)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	133	26	51	10	7
Scottie Pippen	111	28	28	6	2

1997: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat (4-1)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	151	13	40	9	4
Scottie Pippen	84	14	25	8	1

1997: Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz (4-2)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	194	36	42	7	5
Scottie Pippen	120	21	50	10	11

1998: Chicago Bulls vs. New Jersey Nets (3-0)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	109	8	15	4	3
Scottie Pippen	54	18	21	5	2

1998: Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets (4-1)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	148	23	28	5	2
Scottie Pippen	89	15	26	5	9

1998: Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers (4-3)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	222	29	40	12	3
Scottie Pippen	116	37	54	15	8

1998: Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz (4-2)

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	201	14	24	11	4
Scottie Pippen	94	29	41	10	5

Totals

PLAYER	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK
Michael Jordan	3,776 (32.6)	622 (5.4)	719 (6.2)	218 (1.9)	91 (0.8)
Scottie Pippen	2,200 (19.0)	642 (5.5)	908 (7.8)	244 (2.1)	111 (1.0)

So there you have it, folks.

As you can see, Michael Jordan was the clear leader in points and undoubtedly contributed in every other aspect of the game as well. But outside of scoring, Scottie Pippen led the Bulls in every other major category during their six title runs. And you certainly can’t slight that.