Steve Kerr explains why Pippen was the perfect teammate for Jordan

Steve Kerr, a Bulls player during the franchise’s second Three-Peat, was able to observe the behavior of each of his teammates from the inside. He therefore thinks he knows why Scottie Pippen was the “ideal complement” to Michael Jordan.

Despite having experienced the footage in reality, Steve Kerr couldn’t help but be glued to his television screen every Sunday night for the past few weeks. Warriors coach was one of millions of Americans who have diligently followed The Last Dance, the documentary about the 1997-98 season of the Bulls and their dynasty.

He did not fail to react repeatedly to the series, besides being upset by surprise, multiplying the media talks to remember this golden period. Most obviously involved Michael Jordan, and the famous fight that opposed them. The latest was about her eternal shadow man, a.k.a. Scottie Pippen.

The documentary allowed him to see his career hailed by the younger generations, who had not necessarily heard of his great contribution to the success of Chicago. According to Kerr, one of his character traits, also highlighted in The Last Dance, allowed Pip to perfectly fulfill his role as model teammate:

I think one of the reasons Scottie was very much loved by Michael and by all of us was the fact that he was the perfect complement to Michael. Michael was the badass. He was the guy who got you in there, and you had to be ready every day to face his criticism, his strength, his intensity, his intimidation. Scottie was the one who balanced it all.

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He put his arm on your shoulder and made sure that you were fine despite all the hardships you faced as a team player at the time. Scottie was loved by everyone, including Michael, but he was also a phenomenal basketball player.

This outing, from the last episode of the podcast The Lowe Post, confirms the one he had held in the docu-series. In particular, we saw Pippen explain that MJ’s first retirement had come close to a blessing for the Bulls, who could finally breathe.

As Steve Kerr recalls, more than an important member of the locker room, number 33 remained an incredible basketball player who greatly contributed to the glory of his leader. Still in the shade, unfortunately.

And this period has left irreversible marks on people’s minds, of course. If Scottie Pippen may have hoped that The Last Dance would restore its image, he finally admitted to being bruised by the treatment he received in the series. He can however count on Steve Kerr to give him some balm to the heart.

Like the “good cop / bad cop” duos in the playoffs, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen formed a perfect “good teammate / bad teammate” combination according to Steve Kerr. A role that made Pip indispensable to his team.

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