One of LeBron James‘ closest NBA friends is coming to the defense of the Lakers superstar after Scottie Pippen’s latest comments.
During an explosive appearance on the “PBD Podcast” with Patrick Bet-David, the Hall of Famer opened up about his relationship with Michael Jordan and gave his take on where LeBron and MJ rank in the GOAT debate.
“You can’t ask me who’s the GOAT between LeBron and Michael; neither one of them are GOATs. They both won differently. You can’t put them at the top of the pinnacle,” Pippen claimed. “Magic Johnson, to me, is a bigger GOAT because of how he led, how he brought a whole team.”
“Couldn’t Win Without Me” – Scottie Pippen BREAKS SILENCE On Jordan, NBA Legacy & Bulls Dynasty@patrickbetdavid @scottiepippen pic.twitter.com/KQCFmhyksp
— PBD Podcast (@PBDsPodcast) January 17, 2025
“When the greatest scorer in the game in Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], was not there and him, as a rookie, to step in and play a position that no one even knows he can play. That’s transcending what you can do as a player,” the six-time NBA champion added.
Pippen also boldly stated that he’d still have his six rings even if he had never teamed up with Jordan in Chicago: “I still get my six. Three, three, I thought you knew. … [Jordan] may be somewhere with LeBron [James], two, three, somewhere. I feel like I’m going to get my six.”
That’s where 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony felt he had to step in (via “7 PM in Brooklyn”).
As far as LeBron goes, leave that man the [expletive] alone. Like, leave the [expletive] alone, Scottie. Like, pay homage to Magic, but leave them [expletives] alone. Them [expletives] is the GOATs of our league, man. Those are the three. So, whatever issues you have with Bron, like, leave that [expletive] alone …. Like, as a matter of fact, this is a situation that Bron need to see Scottie. Like, enough is [expletive] enough. Not even square up. For me, you gotta have a real conversation. Like, what the [expletive] is going on?
You can’t keep MJ the GOAT this day, and LeBron is the GOAT better than MJ the next day. Oh, six years later, you know what? [Expletive] both of them [expletives]. Magic is the GOAT. [Expletive], Magic been the GOAT. You could pay homage and respect to [expletives] without putting one of them down.
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Melo added that Scottie can accept “being the best Robin or the best wingman of all-time” or not. But when it comes to diminishing the game’s greats, “Yeah, leave that alone.”
Related: Scottie Pippen Accused Of ‘Lying’ About Relationship With Michael Jordan