Scottie Pippen, in his book “Unguarded,” made a surprising claim about Michael Jordan’s stats during their time with the Chicago Bulls. According to Pippen, Bulls scorekeepers would inflate Jordan’s stats, giving him credit for plays he didn’t make.
Scottie Pippen: “Michael was better at getting people to do whatever he wanted. I saw it over and over, from the first training camp in 1987 to the last victory rally in 1998.”
“Here’s how it worked: Say I deflected the ball and tapped it over to him. I should get credit with the steal, right? Nope. More often than not, the steal went into his column on the stat sheet, and I could do nothing about it.”
“One night, a scorekeeper came into the locker room after the game to hand the stat sheets to Phil Jackson and the coaching staff. The sheet breaks down the points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots, turnovers, and so on for everyone who played the game.”
“I couldn’t believe the look the guy gave Michael: ‘See MJ, we take care of you.’ No wonder in the nine full seasons we played together, he averaged more steals than me in every year except two.”
Pippen recounted an incident where he deflected the ball, but Jordan was credited with the steal. This practice, Pippen suggests, was part of a broader effort to boost Jordan’s already legendary status.
Pippen detailed an encounter after a game where a scorekeeper handed the stat sheets to the coaching staff and said to Jordan, “See MJ, we take care of you.”
This comment underscores the alleged favoritism Jordan received, contributing to his impressive stat lines. Pippen noted that during their nine full seasons together, Jordan averaged more steals than him in all but two seasons, possibly due to such biased recording.
Michael Jordan is known for his incredible stats, including leading the NBA in steals per game during the 1987-88, 1989-90, and 1992-93 seasons. He ranks third in NBA history in steals per game (2.35) and fourth in total steals (2,514). Pippen, also an outstanding defender, ranks seventh in total steals (2,307) and 14th in steals per game (1.96).
The relationship between Jordan and the scorekeepers has been discussed in other accounts as well. Bob Rosenberg, a long-time NBA scorekeeper, was known for his close relationship with Jordan as reported by Chicago AP writer Jim Litke.
There were instances where Rosenberg would signal to Jordan during games, informing him of his stats and how close he was to achieving milestones like a triple-double. Rosenberg also shared an anecdote from 1988, illustrating the intensity of this dynamic.
Michael Jordan: “Why didn’t you tell me I was two points short of Chamberlain?”
Ben Rosenberg: “I said, ‘Look, every time you went by, I kept putting up two fingers. You didn’t understand that?'”
After the game where Jordan scored 40 points, just shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star game record of 42 points, the Bulls star reprimanded Rosenberg for not alerting him about the proximity to the record. Despite acknowledging his role in aiding Jordan to “pad” his statistics, Rosenberg firmly denied any allegations of manipulating numbers on the stat sheet to artificially enhance Jordan’s performance.
These claims, while controversial, add another layer to the already complex narrative of Michael Jordan’s career. Amid these revelations from Pippen and Rosenberg, a bombshell report came out recently, casting doubt on the authenticity of Jordan’s 1988 Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) statistics.
Jordan’s achievements are undeniable, but these allegations suggest that the full extent of his dominance might have been, at times, exaggerated by those who wanted to see him succeed. Whether these actions were intentional or a result of the admiration many had for Jordan, they raise questions about the integrity of recorded stats and the influence of off-court relationships on an athlete’s legacy.
