Skip to content

Pippen throws shade at Jordan over 'Flu Game'

Andy Hayt / National Basketball Association / Getty

Scottie Pippen doesn't seem all that impressed by Michael Jordan's "Flu Game."

Pippen recently sat down with Frank Isola of SiriusXM NBA Radio and was asked if he thinks he deserves more credit for playing through a back injury in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.

"I'mma ask you this: Is it easier to play with a herniated disc or to play with the flu?" Pippen said.

He added, "Well, I don't see many bad back games, but I do see flu games. Flu. Come on."

Pippen, who's been busy promoting the release of his memoir "Unguarded," said he wouldn't have been able to play in a Game 7 had the Chicago Bulls not defeated the Utah Jazz in Game 6 to win their sixth NBA championship.

"I was done, pretty much," Pippen said. " ... I struggled to pull it through in that game and I suffered from it. Still suffering from it. But I wouldn't have played in a Game 7; I just wasn't able to go."

Jordan's "Flu Game" occurred during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. Jordan and his longtime trainer Tim Grover have both attributed his flu-like symptoms to food poisoning from a pizza that was delivered to him the night before.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox