In October 1993, during a personally difficult time, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA, citing a loss of desire to play basketball. That decision left the Chicago Bulls without their main star, forcing Scottie Pippen to step up and fill the void. Years later, Steve Kerr reflected on that period.
Kerr had arrived in Chicago that summer from the Orlando Magic and found himself in a very different environment from the one the Bulls had enjoyed in previous seasons, during which they had captured three straight championships. In that context, Pippen was no longer the second option—he had become the team’s leader.
“I think he felt a lot of pressure to replace Michael, and obviously, nobody could ever do that,” Steve recalled in an interview shared by Grantland in 2013. However, the guard highlighted Pippen’s performance that season. “If you remember, he had an MVP-caliber year. He was unbelievable that season, probably his best season ever.”
Indeed, during the 1993–94 season, Scottie posted some of the best numbers of his NBA career. He played 72 regular season games, averaging 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per game—all career highs in those categories. That year, the forward was also named All-Star Game MVP and finished third in the voting for league MVP.
Steve Kerr won three championships with Chicago
The moment things spiraled for Pippen
Led by Pippen, the Chicago Bulls finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 55–27 record. That earned them a trip to the playoffs, where they easily advanced past the first round by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, in the semifinals, they ran into the New York Knicks, and that’s when things got complicated.
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In Game 3, with the Knicks up 2–0 in the series and just 1.8 seconds left on the clock in a 102–102 tie, head coach Phil Jackson drew up a play designed for Toni Kukoc to take the final shot. Believing he should have been the one to take that responsibility, Scottie reacted with fury.
As a result, Pippen made the shocking decision to stay on the bench and not go back onto the court for those final moments. Kukoc hit the shot and the Bulls won that day, but Scottie’s decision didn’t go unnoticed—even among his teammates, who felt deeply disappointed.
Kerr reflects on Pippen’s reaction
Years later, Steve Kerr looked back on what happened. “In the playoffs, I think in that game, we had a blown 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. Those are the kinds of games Michael would have single-handedly taken over, and I think Scottie probably felt some pressure to do that,” the guard began.
“I’ve said many times it’s such a shame because, in many ways, it ruined Scottie’s reputation, and people who don’t know him might just think of that play and say, ‘Oh man, that guy’s selfish,’” Kerr added. “But he was one of the most beloved teammates in that locker room, and that spans every Bulls team, from the beginning of his tenure there until the end.”
Despite that incident, Steve Kerr has consistently praised what Pippen meant to him and to the Bulls during those years. “Scottie would score four points and dominate the game,” Kerr said in 2010. “That’s what made him one of the best to ever play the game.”
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