Scottie Pippen Says Phil Jackson Is Racist, Led to Decision to Give Kukoc Final Shot
Hall of Fame forward Scottie Pippen appeared on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday and doubled down on his comments that Phil Jackson's decision to give Toni Kukoc the last shot in a 1994 second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks was racially motivated.
Pippen told Patrick he believes Jackson was a racist.
"Oh yeah. Do you remember Phil Jackson left the Lakers, went wrote a book on Kobe Bryant, then came back and coached him?" Pippen said. "I mean, who would do that? You name someone in professional sports that would do that. ... I think he tried to expose Kobe in a way he shouldn't have."
When Patrick attempted to push back by saying Jackson may be disloyal but that does not necessarily make him a racist, Pippen called on his firsthand experience with the coach.
"I was in the locker room with him, I was in practices with him—you're looking at him from afar," Pippen said.
Pippen previously called Jackson's decision, which infamously led to him refusing to re-enter the game, a "racial move" in an interview with Tyler R. Tynes of GQ.
"I thought it was a pretty low blow. I felt like it was an opportunity to give [Kukoc] a rise. It was a racial move to give him a rise. After all I've been through with this organization, now you're gonna tell me to take the ball out and throw it to Toni Kukoc? You're insulting me. That's how I felt," Pippen said.
Pippen was lambasted for his decision in 1994, a move that some thought did irreparable damage to his legacy. While it still remains one of the most notable moments of his career, Pippen and Jackson reconciled to the point they won three more championships together.
Jackson was previously criticized for racially insensitive comments in 2016 when he referred to LeBron James' friends and associates as a "posse," a word typically associated with negative connotations for a group of Black people. He later said he regretted his word choice.
James associate Maverick Carter said he did not feel Jackson was a racist but was "disrespectful" in his use of the word "posse."
Pippen has been on a lambasting spree of late, calling out Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan and Jackson, among others, as he conducts interviews for the release of his upcoming book.
