Scottie Pippen removes a legend to make room for a modern player on his All-Time starting five
Scottie Pippen
© Nathan Ray Seebeck - USA TODAY Sports
Given everything Scottie Pippen said after The Last Dance came out, and some previous flirtations calling LeBron James better than Michael Jordan, everyone had the same reaction when we heard Pip updated his All-Time starting five. He wouldn't, would he?
“Get rid of Barkley, give me Giannis.”
Promoting his book on TrashTalkProducion's podcast, Scottie was asked to list his All-Time starting five. The first three were easy, “I will take myself, Michael Jordan, Magic.” Everyone took a sigh of relief - MJ made the list. Scottie may have been disappointed with The Last Dance and feels he should get more credit, but the man's not lost his mind.
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But after listing the first three names, there was a noticeable pause. “Based on today's game, it would be positionless, right? So, give me Charles Barkley. I will stick with the older players. I take Shaq, I got a lot of offense.” With the positionless thing in mind, Pip quickly made a change.
Magic as the point guard, MJ at the two, Pip at the wing, Giannis as the power forward, and Shaq in the paint. These lists are a matter of basketball taste, and I'd say Pip did quite all right.
No threes
Scottie may have talked about modern basketball being positionless, but with Shaq on the floor, at least one position is set. Another thing making this the oldest of old-school lineups is the total lack of three-point shooting. Magic, Giannis, and Shaq would barely shoot any. MJ can drain them, and Scottie is a maybe. That being said, 70+ wins, and probably the first crew to go 16-0 in the playoffs.
Jokes aside, it's a major compliment for Antetokounmpo that he is the only modern player Pippen included in his lineup. He is one of the rarest kinds of superstars - a guy we all know would dominate in any era.
