Scottie Pippen was a key member of the legendary Chicago Bulls dynasty that won six titles in the 1990s. Now retired, he has offered several opinions about the GOAT debate in recent years. His shifting views have drawn attention, particularly his recent exclusion of both Michael Jordan and LeBron James when naming the best NBA player. Carmelo Anthony has now responded to Pippen’s contradictions with strong words.
“Scottie, come on. Like, let’s not do this, B. And you can’t do this every time,” Anthony said on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, addressing Pippen’s inconsistent stance. “You can’t keep MJ the GOAT this day, and LeBron is the GOAT better than MJ the next day. Oh, six years later, you know what? (expletive) both of them (expletive). Magic (Johnson) is the GOAT.”
Carmelo went on to explain what bothers him about Pippen’s approach. “You could pay homage and respect to (expletive) without putting one of them down,” the former New York Knicks star asserted.
“You can say Magic is a GOAT. You can say LeBron is a GOAT. You can have your—whatever your opinion is, you can have it,” he continued. “But it’s like, you shooting shots at everybody that’s against—that is, like, on the opposite side.“
Pippen’s changing opinions on the GOAT debate
Over the past few years, Scottie Pippen has offered a series of different answers regarding the GOAT debate. At times, he has named Michael Jordan as the greatest player in history, but in his 2020 book Unguarded, he reversed course, even claiming that Jordan “ruined basketball.”
In the book, Pippen also stated, “I always believed LeBron James was the greatest player this game has ever seen,” only to later contradict himself by naming Julius Erving as No. 1. More recently, in an interview with the PBD Podcast, Pippen chose Magic Johnson as his GOAT.
Carmelo Anthony defends LeBron against Pippen
Anthony also had a direct message for Pippen regarding James. “As far as LeBron goes, leave that man the (expletive) alone,” he said. “Like, leave the (expletive) alone, Scottie. Like, pay homage to Magic, but… Whatever issues you have with Bron, like, leave that (expletive) alone.”
Anthony added that LeBron should have a conversation with Pippen. “Scottie, nobody’s burning, even thinking about you. Like, as a matter of fact, this is a situation that Bron need to see Scottie,” he said. “For me, you gotta have a real conversation. Like, what the (expletive) is going on?”
Carmelo Anthony’s respect for Pippen
Despite the strong criticism, Anthony made it clear that he respects Pippen’s legacy in the NBA. “You have your lane. Let us respect you for that,” he said. “Whether you want to accept you being the best Robin or the best wingman of all time, that’s you. That’s you, (expletive). When it comes to a trophy, that’s your trophy. You the guy for that. Accept that.”