Scottie Pippen Claims That Michael Jordan Was Diplomatic to Protect His Image

Michael Jordan is a well-known media recluse and a private individual. Additionally, a lot of people would have observed—and even criticized—the Chicago Bulls legend’s hesitancy to express opinions or adopt political positions. Perhaps Jordan’s most politically charged quote is “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”

Furthermore, the context in which those statements were spoken was blatantly apolitical. Scottie Pippen recently discussed Jordan’s reasons for remaining inactive on Patrick Bet David’s podcast.

His running colleague claims that Jordan mostly avoided political endorsements and discussions to preserve his reputation.

Pippen said: “He stays away from that. He’s a basketball player. He’s not a politician. He’s not one that’s gonna get involved in any kind of debate. He’s gonna focus more on playing basketball and what it takes to win championships and that’s all he’s gonna speak on,” 

Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan’s weird relationship

Pippen’s remarks support Jordan’s description of him in his “sneakers” remark. Jordan had said it during the 1990 state senate contest in North Carolina between Harvey Gnatt and Jesse Helms. The NBA legend was asked to support Democrat Gnatt by his mother. Jordan declined, saying he was not familiar enough with the politician to associate his name with him.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. basketball player Michael Jordan (2nd R) flashes a victory sign as he stands with team mates Larry Bird (L), Scottie Pippen and Clyde Drexler (R), nicknamed the “Dream Team” after winning the Olympic gold in Barcelona, Spain on August 8, 1992. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine/File Photo

Whether Jordan’s rejection affected the outcome is unknown. Helms, however, defeated Gnatt and was re-elected. MJ has also refrained from discussing politics or taking sides on other occasions.

Following the notorious Rodney King beating, former teammate Craig Hodges once begged Jordan and Magic Johnson to skip the first game of the 1991 NBA Finals.

The post Scottie Pippen Claims That Michael Jordan Was Diplomatic to Protect His Image appeared first on BlackSportsOnline.