Rick Pitino Drops GOAT Bombshell: Names Michael Jordan the Undisputed King — But His Pick for the Most Underrated Star Ever Has Fans in Total Shock
Legendary coach Rick Pitino is no stranger to strong takes, but his latest comments have set the basketball world ablaze. In a recent interview, Pitino reignited the eternal “Greatest of All Time” debate — and while his choice for the GOAT wasn’t a total curveball, what followed left fans and analysts scrambling to keep up.
“Michael Jordan is still the greatest to ever play this game. It’s not even close,” Pitino declared confidently. “He changed the game on every level — skill, mentality, competitiveness, leadership. Nobody has impacted basketball the way MJ has.”
While that take alone sparked heated arguments across social media, Pitino wasn’t done. The Hall of Fame coach then pivoted to a name that had fans raising eyebrows: Scottie Pippen.
“The most criminally underrated player in NBA history is Scottie Pippen,” Pitino said. “People talk about Jordan’s greatness — and rightly so — but they completely overlook what Pippen brought to the table. Without Scottie, there’s no six rings. No dynasty. He was the glue, the defensive anchor, and a playmaker long before ‘point forward’ was a thing.”
Pitino went on to say that Pippen’s ability to guard multiple positions, facilitate offense, and elevate Jordan’s game has been overshadowed by decades of narratives that painted him as a sidekick rather than a co-architect of the Bulls’ dynasty.
The internet erupted. Fans began flooding timelines with highlights, stats, and memories of Pippen’s brilliance — from shutting down top scorers to initiating fast breaks like a point guard in a forward’s body.
“Pitino might’ve just reopened one of the most important conversations in basketball history,” one analyst tweeted. “Respect to MJ, but we’ve been sleeping on Pippen for way too long.”
With one bold interview, Rick Pitino didn’t just spark nostalgia — he challenged an entire generation of fans to rethink what they thought they knew about greatness, legacy, and the real MVPs behind every dynasty. And just like that, the GOAT debate got a whole lot more interesting.
