“If it were him, he, too, would be upset” - Jordan apologized to Scottie Pippen over 'The Last Dance' controversial scene

Sports documentary ‘The Last Dance’ offered modern-day fans a glimpse into the mystique surrounding Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

While the series covered several controversial moments, one particular moment drew criticism from Scottie Pippen —his decision to sit out the final play from Game 3 of the 1994 series against the New York Knicks. Upon confronting Jordan, who held editorial control over the project, the seven-time All-Star claimed to have received an apology.

Pippen on how promptly MJ apologized to him

During this period, Jordan had announced his retirement and was playing for the Birmingham Barons, which left Scott as the team’s primary star and leader. In Game 3, when Coach Phil Jackson designed the play for Toni Kukoc to take the game-winner instead of Pip, the 6’8” small forward refused to enter the contest. Consequently, the ‘Zen Master’ opted to send in Pete Myers.

Although Kukoc knocked the buzzer-beater and secured a 104-102 win for the Bulls, the weight of abandoning his team weighed heavily on Pippen, who later even wept in the locker room. Interestingly, while Pip was the villain at that very moment, he did manage to lead the Bulls in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals in that series yet all of that was omitted.

In his memoir, ‘ Unguarded ,’ Pippen revealed that Mike acknowledged the sensitivity of the situation. The six-time Finals MVP admitted that if he had been in a similar position, he, too would have not recommended such an incident being portrayed in the documentary.

"I asked why he had allowed the 1.8 seconds game to make the final cut," the Bulls forward wrote. "He didn't say much other than to apologize and acknowledge that if it were him, he, too, would be upset. I didn't press any further. I knew it would do no good."

Related: The Lakers' team bus would always leave Kobe Bryant behind because he waited to talk to MJ after every game: "We were always one head short with Kobe"

Not being considered worthy of playing the ‘decoy’ hurt Pippen the most

In the 1993-94 season, Pip wasn’t just the leader of the Bulls; he was so dominant that he finished third in MVP voting, behind Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Reflecting on a particular moment in Game 3 in his memoir, ‘Robin’ emphasized how deeply it hurt him not to be considered worthy of playing even as a decoy in a potential game-winning play. This is why he never regretted not returning to the floor.

"There was one person I was angry with: Phil Jackson. Michael was gone. This was my team now, my chance to be the hero, and Phil was giving that chance to Toni Kukoc? Are you serious? Toni was a rookie with no rings," Pippen wrote. "By not going back in the game, I did the right thing."

Related: Michael Jordan opens up about his older brother Larry not making the NBA: "He has always been a good player, but he just didn't grow enough"