Scottie Pippen suggested on Monday that Phil Jackson’s decision to draw a play for then- Chicago Bulls guard Toni Kukoc in the final seconds of …
Scottie Pippen suggested on Monday that Phil Jackson’s decision to draw a play for then- Chicago Bulls guard Toni Kukoc in the final seconds of a 1994 playoff game against the New York Knicks was racially motivated. Pippen first drew the conclusion in an interview with GQ Magazine, saying the play was a “racial move” to give Kukoc some standing in the organization. Kukoc was a highly touted prospect from Europe at the time. Pippen famously refused to play those final seconds and Kukoc ended up nailing the final shot. The moment was documented in last summer’s “The Last Dance” documentary, which chronicled Michael Jordan and his final season with the Bulls. Pippen was asked about the remark on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Monday. “If you knew that Scottie Pippen had been with the Bulls from ’87, battled through the Pistons and every other team that we had to get to those three championships, wouldn’t you give Scottie Pippen one opportunity to get a last-second shot without Michael Jordan? Like, one year without Michael Jordan.
