Former Lakers Coach Reveals Why Scottie Pippen Was 'Better Than' Michael Jordan

Mar 30, 1995; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (45) talks with forward Scottie Pippen (33) after a timeout from the game against the Boston Celtics at Chicago Stadium. The Bulls beat the Celtics 100-82. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Former NBA player Craig Hodges is one of the few people on the planet who had the opportunity to play professional basketball alongside both Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan.

The sharpshooting guard out of Long Beach State became a fixture with the Bulls, given the fact he had been previously coached in college by Tex Winter — the architect of the triangle offense and Phil Jackson's de facto right-hand man.

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Hodges is uniquely in the position to speak candidly on Pippen and Jordan during their respective primes. Appearing on the All The Smoke podcast with fellow former players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Hodges broke down the differences between the two. While Jordan is widely considered to be the best basketball player in the history of the sport, Hodges didn't feel that way. In fact, much of his praise went to Pippen.

“We too old for that sh*t.”

Craig Hodges discusses the turning point in Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen’s relationship

ALL THE SMOKE with the former Chicago Bull is available on YouTube! pic.twitter.com/TwzEF75HFH

— All the Smoke (@allthesmokeprod) May 2, 2025

"I think [Pippen] was better than [Jordan] — just from a natural...you 6-foot-7 with the same components. The difference was, think about how many guys you played with, so much was given to them. It led to their confidence. If I know I got all of these people behind me and all these people supporting me, then I'm going to go out and play a different way. As opposed to I got to prove that I'm capable."

"[Pippen] come in having to prove himself from Central Arkansas. As opposed to knowing that dude, I'm 6-foot-7, I got handles, I can jump, I can shoot...I still have to prove myself. Where [Jordan] was already proven to a degree."

Much of what Hodges said is quite interesting. Pippen was always 'Robin' to Jordan's 'Batman' — though there were times when Jordan was out and Pippen became 'the guy' for long stretches.

2x NBA Champion Craig hodges talks about the difference between Kobe and Michael Jordan, he goes into detail about how Mentally prepared Kobe was before every game.

Kobe already planned ahead knowing he'd have no issue getting past the 1st and 2nd defender, to get to his sweet… pic.twitter.com/aKKFhGosSg

— Brandon (@clickthatfollow) May 1, 2025

Most people will probably disagree with Hodges' assessment of the situation. There could be an element of supporting Pippen personally with this rumored rift between the two players occurring at this given time. However, Hodges played and coached in the league for a long time. He's not exactly a novice when it comes to analyzing the game of basketball at the highest level.

At the very least, he's provided some enthralling content to discuss through social media platforms.

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