After the Chicago Bulls finally got over the Detroit Pistons hump and became NBA champions in 1991, Michael Jordan became a bigger superstar than ever. Later that offseason, Gatorade released its iconic 'Be like Mike' commercial.
That ad campaign was a hit, with literally almost everybody in the basketball world wanting to be like MJ at the time. But when reporters asked Jordan's Bulls running mate Scottie Pippen if he wanted to be like Mike, Scottie expressed his lack of enthusiasm for the idea.
"I'd like his bank account," Pippen said . "I suppose I wouldn't mind being him for a day, or maybe a couple of days."
Just the bank account, not his life
Jordan ranked No.3 in the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes in 1991, with a total of $16.0 million, including $13.2 from endorsement deals. So, to be fair, it wouldn't have been just Scottie who was interested in his bank account that year.
While Pip was kind of half-joking with that answer, he indeed needed that money. Scottie was the youngest of 12 children, and when he was 14, his father suffered a stroke that paralyzed him for the rest of his life. But other than that, small-town boy Pip wanted no part of MJ's life.
"No, I wouldn't ever want to be him," Pippen continued. "To have to stay in the room all day long, because so many people are waiting outside? To always have the feeling that someone is standing behind you, listening, just recording everything you say and do? No. I don't know how he does it. I can go out. I can walk around. People come up to me for autographs and to talk, but it's natural. They see Michael, and they jump. People act as if they've seen a ghost. No, I wouldn't want to live like that."
Related: Lawrence Taylor recalls Michael Jordan begging for foul calls during their UNC scrimmages: "I just hit you a little bit, come on, man"
Pippen also became a different player than Mike
Not only did Scottie not want to live like Mike, but he also ended up becoming a different basketball player than his more popular teammate. According to Pippen, Bulls assistant coach Tex Winter did not want him to be like Jordan .
"He wanted me to be different than Michael," said Pippen. "He wanted me to follow his path instead of playing the type of basketball Michael played, and looking back, I was in between those styles. I wasn't a great one-on-player, and fit better as a player.
Jordan and Pippen both won six championships. However, Scottie never won the MVP award, even when Michael was no longer there and when he played on other teams. Pip also never came close to matching the zeroes on MJ's fat bank accounts.
Related: "When Jordan left Pippen, he was a MVP candidate" - Paul Pierce preaches about sacrificing for the other star
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