One-Two Punch: Basketball's Greatest Dynamic Duo

Many basketball pairs can lay claim to the title of being the best in the history of the league: Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. But none of them can compare to Chicago Bulls’ dynamic duo, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

MJ, His Airness, is arguably the best player the sport has ever seen. But to claim that Pippen was a Robin to Jordan’s Batman cannot be more wrong.

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On his own, Pippen showed that he can lead the team to winning seasons, as he did during Jordan’s short-lived retirement from 1993 to 1995. Together, though, they built a dynasty and won six championships – more than any other basketball duo, save for any pair from the 1950s to 60s Celtics who won eleven titles against a relatively watered-down league.

After Jordan retired, there were several players who strived to “be like Mike.” The first to ever do so was actually Pippen.

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Jordan may be known for his scoring prowess, all-around game, and unmatched clutch ability. But behind this greatness was his work ethic, tenacity, attention to detail, and hunger for victory. And Pippen followed suit, supplementing his natural talent with the right attitude.

A Batman-Robin analogy might not stand; the Jordan-Pippen tandem is more akin to Batman and Superman without the head-on collisions, according to this writer.

Richard Ohlhaber was born and raised in Chicago. Even after moving to Texas, he remains a loyal fan of the Chicago Bulls, counting Michael Jordan as his favorite player. Read more about the Bulls and sports, in general, by visiting this blog.