Gabrielle Union Distraught Over Scottie Pippen’s Deal w/ The Chicago Bulls: I Don’t Think I’m Gonna Be Able To Sleep
Gabrielle Union Distraught Over Scottie Pippen’s Deal w/ The Chicago Bulls: I Don’t Think I’m Gonna Be Able To Sleep
ESPN officially aired it’s 10-part historic “The Last Dance” documentary, a look into the final year of Michael Jordan’s dynasty with Chicago Bulls. Over the weekend (April 19th), part one and two of the series featured the saga involving Jordan’s go-to co-star, Scottie Pippen and his discontent with his contract negotiations heading into the 1997-98 season.
Prior to helping lead the franchise into their legendary status, Scottie Pippen was locked into a controversial seven-year, $18 million deal in 1991 as his counterpart Jordan made over $30 million under his one-year deal in ’97-’98. Reportedly, Bulls general manager Jerry Krause refused to renegotiate Scottie Pippen’s deal, ultimately resulting in the demise of their dynasty.
Actress Gabrielle Union took to her Twitter to share how uncomfortable she felt in the aftermath of the epic ESPN documentary on Sunday. As the wife of retired Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union takes issue with the Chicago front office’s refusal to reward Pippen in the last year of his deal, which ranked the widely underpaid player sixth-highest paid on the Bulls roster. Gabrielle Union shares how uncomfortable watching the details of the former Bull superstar’s contract was.
“I don’t think I’m gonna be able to sleep tonight thinking about Scottie’s terrible contract.”
She adds,
“I always pay attention to what the 1st offer comes in at. Yes, I know it’s a negotiation, but that 1st offer tells you A LOT about how they think about you. Even when you get to a deal that’s reasonable, HOW one negotiates says a lot. Pay attention.
In addition, Gabrielle says there should be no excuse for front offices and companies to refuse to pay their employees for their huge contribution to their massive success.
“When you’ve contributed to the massive success, the massive financial success of a business & they refuse to compensate you even IN SUCCESS, that is mind boggling. How folks negotiate or their refusal to negotiate should tell you everything you need to know.”
She ends her rant on the ESPN series calling the Bulls front office “super foul” for their handling of the Scottie deal.
In 1997, Scottie spoke on his relationship with Jerry Krause and the Bulls front office as he traveled with the team while rehabbing from a ruptured tendon in his foot. Scottie said,
“I couldn’t tolerate him anymore. I didn’t respect him.”
Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in the documentary,
“I do recall it was a longer contract than I thought was smart with him. I said to Scottie the same thing I said to Michael: ‘If I were you I wouldn’t be signing this deal. You could be selling yourself short. It’s too long of a deal.'”
After capturing their second 3-peat championship, Scottie demanded a trade which landed the NBA star on a five-year, $67.2 million with the Houston Rockets. All in all, Pippen went from making $2.6 million per season to making $11 million per year.
Check out a clip below:
What are your thoughts on Scottie Pippen’s contract negotiations with the Bulls? Let us know in the comments!