Michael Jordan, who is said to be the main reason behind the globalisation of basketball, has been accused of "ruining" the sport by his former Chicago Bulls colleague Scottie Pippen.
Pippen and Jordan's relationship has been frosty since the release of the legendary basketballer's documentary "The Last Dance", which premiered on Netflix recently.
Pippen, who is reportedly not happy with the portrayal of his character in the documentary, has taken multiple jibes at Jordan.
The one-time close friends have turned into bitter foes and their war of words has now escalated to such an extent that one man has now accused the other of damaging basketball.
CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 12: Former players Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls smile as the crowd cheers during a 20th anniversary recognition ceremony of the Bulls 1st NBA Championship in 1991 during half-time of a game bewteen the Bulls and the Utah Jazz at the United Center on March 12, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois
© AFP 2023 / JONATHAN DANIEL
While during the promotions of "The Last Dance" Jordan hailed Pippen for always supporting him at the Bulls before declaring him as "his best team-mate of all time", the latter has still continued to lambast the former.
Hitting back at Jordan in his soon to be released book, "Unguarded", Pippen has taken a series of digs at Jordan in his attempts to portray him as a villain, who had no regard whatsoever for his teammates.
"I may go as far to say Mike ruined basketball", he claimed in his memoir, whose excerpts are widely available online.
"In the 80s on the playgrounds, you'd have everyone moving the ball around - passing to help the team. That stopped in the 90s", Pippen added.
Continuing with his harsh criticism of Jordan, Pippen accused him of being selfish on the basketball court as he always wanted everything for himself.
According to Pippen, Jordan never wanted to pass or rebound and had no appetite for defence, arguing this showed he was self-centred and didn't respect his team-mates like the way they did.
"Kids wanted to be 'Like Mike'. Well, Mike didn't want to pass - didn't want to rebound, or defend the best player. He wanted everything done for him" Pippen said.
Instead of Jordan, Pippen declared LeBron James as the greatest basketballer of all time. Even though the 36-year-old is the only player to have won NBA championships with three franchises (the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Lakers), Jordan is still regarded as the best in history.
However, many like Pippen believe that LeBron is the finest ever, yet it is a hotly contested topic in the sport.
"That's why I always believed LeBron James was the greatest player this game has ever seen - he does everything and embodies what the game is truly about" he concluded.