Scottie Pippen: Michael Jordan Made 'a Selfish Decision' Leaving Bulls for Baseball

Scottie Pippen's recent media tour included a stop on The Dan Patrick Show to discuss Michael Jordan's pursuit of a career in Major League Baseball.

Speaking to Dan Patrick, Pippen said Jordan made "a selfish decision" to walk away from the NBA to try his hand at professional baseball.

After leading the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA titles, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball in October 1993. He cited the death of his father in July 1993 as one of the reasons why he wanted to step away from the court.

"It began as my father's idea," Jordan told Ira Berkow of the New York Times in April 1994. "We had seen Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders try two sports and my father had said that he felt I could have made it in baseball, too. He said, 'You've got the skills.'"

Jordan's decision to walk away from the Bulls at the age of 30 left Pippen as the best player on their roster for the 1993-94 season. He played at an MVP level that season, averaging 22.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game to help Chicago finish 55-27.

The Bulls' quest for a fourth straight title ended in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a loss to the New York Knicks in seven games.

Jordan returned to the Bulls late in the 1994-95 season. He led the franchise to three more titles from 1996 to 1998 before his second retirement.

Jordan and Pippen spent 10 seasons together as teammates between 1987 and 1998. They won six titles and six division titles during that span.