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Scottie Pippen calls Phil Jackson a racist and says the former Bulls coach's decision to give white rookie Toni Kukoc a key shot in the 1994 playoffs was a 'racial move'

Scottie Pippen has accused his former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson of being a racist and says Jackson's decision to give white rookie Toni Kukoc a key shot in a 1994 playoff game was a 'racial move.' 

While appearing on the 'Dan Patrick Show,' the Chicago Bulls great followed up previous comments he made about Jackson during a recent GQ interview.

Pippen, 55, referenced a sequence from the 1994 playoffs, when longtime teammate Michael Jordan was playing minor league baseball in the midst of his first retirement from the NBA. In the final moments of Game 3 of the Bulls' second-round playoff series with the rival New York Knicks, Jackson drew up the final shot for then-rookie forward Toni Kukoc, who is white, as opposed to Pippen, who infamously refused to re-enter the game.

DP: ".. By saying it was a racial move then you're calling Phil Jackson a racist..."

Pippen: "I don't have a problem with that."

DP: "Do you think Phil was?"

Pippen: "Oh yeah..."

Exchange with @ScottiePippen on Phil's decision to have Kukoc take final shot against the Knicks pic.twitter.com/pH2aDLMDcQ









'By saying a racial move, then you're calling Phil a racist,' Patrick said to Pippen.

'I don't got a problem with that,' Pippen said.

Patrick responded, 'Do you think Phil was or is (a racist)?'

'Uh, yeah,' Pippen said.

Pippen didn't let it end there.

'Why would Toni, who was a rookie, get the last-second shot and you put me out of bounds? That's what I mean racial,' Pippen said.

When Patrick suggested that a design for a last shot may not define Jackson as a racist, Pippen responded: 'Well, that's your way of putting it out, and I have my way. I was in the locker room with him. I was in practices with him. You're looking from afar.'

Kukoc hit the shot that won the game for Chicago, but the Bulls ultimately fell to the eventual Eastern Conference-champion Knicks in seven games. 

On Monday, Pippen appeared to respond to criticism on social media.

'I’m just answering the questions y’all asking me,' he tweeted. 'You wanted the headlines, you got them - dig deeper to find out why I actually said what I said instead of framing your questions to get clicks. It’s all love!'

Phil Jackson says Scottie Pippen is the greatest all-around player in the NBA (1995)

"No one can score like Michael. But scoring is not the end-all. Scottie is the complete package." pic.twitter.com/suIzr25lDU



Jackson has not yet responded publicly to Pippen's accusation, but he was largely complimentary of the All-Star forward throughout his NBA career. 

In 1995, Jackson told ESPN that Pippen was a. more complete player than Jordan. 

'No one can score like Michael,' Jackson said. 'But scoring is not the end-all. Scottie is the complete package.'

Pippen also took issue with Michael Jordan, his longtime Bulls teammate who left the team to play baseball following the 1992-93 season.

'Yeah, it was a big decision, but it was a selfish decision, but it was kind of who Michael Jordan was,' Pippen said. 'That was a guy who believed he can do anything on his own.'

Pippen was a seven-time All-Star who won six NBA championships alongside Jordan in Chicago. Jackson was in charge of the Bulls for the entire run before going on to win five titles as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. 

The Arkansas native has a new book, Unguarded, expected to come out later this year.  


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