Scottie Pippen’s ex-teammate slams Gilbert Arenas’ ‘glorified second option’ remark – Sportskeeda

Scotty Pippen recently made headlines for his comments about LeBron James in the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) conversation. Gilbert Arenas then responded by blasting the Chicago Bulls legend, calling him a “glorified second option” before one of Pippen’s former teammates chimed in.

In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Arenas shared a clip from his “Gil’s Arena” podcast, where he expressed disbelief that someone like the legendary forward would use team praise to compare himself to “King James.”

After the former Washington Wizards guard called Pippen “the glorified second option,” former Bulls guard Ron Harper demanded respect for his teammate.

“Respect Pip’s name now!!!!” Harper tweeted.

It all started when Scottie Pippen was a guest on the “Patrick Bet-David” podcast. The host asked the six-time NBA champion about the conversation with the GOAT that led Pippen to claim he was better than LeBron James.

“I’m talking from a team standpoint,” Pippen said. “I look at basketball from a team perspective. My success as a team is more successful than LeBron’s. I got six rings.”

Pippen also didn’t forget about his battle with Michael Jordan, expressing his preference for Magic Johnson, who he believes is the greatest in history. He explained that Johnson’s leadership with the Los Angeles Lakers, including his performance as a rookie in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, was undeniable.

“Magic Johnson to me is a bigger GOAT than anybody because of the way he led, how he led a whole team, how when the greatest scorer in the game Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) was gone,” Pippen said. “And him as a rookie stepping in and playing a position that no one even knew he could play. It goes beyond what you can do as a player.”

Gilbert Arenas wasn’t the only basketball personality to question Pippen’s remarks. Stephen A. ESPN’s Smith also took aim at the Chicago Bulls legend, citing his infamous “migraine game” in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals.

Carmelo Anthony answers to Scottie Pippen, defends Michael Jordan and LeBron James

Another player who defended Michael Jordan and LeBron James was Carmelo Anthony, who addressed Scottie Pippen’s comments on his “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast. Anthony made it clear he would not tolerate any slander against Jordan, who won six NBA championships with Pippen.

“Don’t take that off guard now, after all these years, whatever feelings you have for him,” Anthony said. “Like, that’s who it is. It’s MJ, like, you know what time it is with that.”

Anthony also added that Pippen should leave Jordan and LeBron alone, saying he could have praised Magic Johnson without tarnishing the legacy of the two “GOATs.”