Chicago Bulls: Arenas says Pippen was bigger for Dream Team than MJ

Gilbert Arenas has a valid argument that Chicago Bulls Hall-of-Fame forward Scottie Pippen was the MVP of the “Dream Team” in 1992.

All of those great 1990’s Chicago Bulls title-winning dynasty teams were put on full display in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic earlier this year with the early premier of the 10-part his documentary series “The Last Dance”. Great former Bulls players and NBA Hall-of-Famers like forwards Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, along with legendary shooting guard Michael Jordan, highlighted the dynasty teams throughout the 1990’s that won six titles.

But it wasn’t only the six titles that Pippen and Jordan were winning with the Bulls throughout the 1990’s that made them so special throughout their pro careers. They both also made waves when they played in the Summer Olympics with the United States team in a couple of decades during their accomplished playing days.

And the best of the Olympic teams that Pippen and Jordan played on of course was the famed 1992 “Dream Team” that took gold in dominant fashion. That team was highlighted also by the likes of Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson, Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird, and the Utah Jazz superstar duo of point guard John Stockton and big man Karl Malone.

There were so many legends that played for that 1992 Olympic United States team in Barcelona. They dominated the competition, and Jordan and Pippen sat at the forefront of the action that happened in Spain that summer.

Jordan was the second leading scorer for that Olympic team, averaging 14.9 points per game to go along with 2.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, an insane 4.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He shot 45.1 percent from the field, and former Phoenix Suns superstar big man Charles Barkley was the only player on that team to outscore Jordan per game (he averaged 18.0 points per game).

But Pippen was also solid for the Dream Team. He averaged 9.0 points per game, 2.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.0 steals, and 0.1 blocks. Pippen shot an impressive 59.6 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.3 percent from the free-throw line. He actually led the team in assists, second in steals, and ranked in the top five in all major shooting percentage categories.

To this point, former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas joined up with the FUBO Sports podcast to discuss the efficient role that Pippen played on the Dream Team. He stated that Pippen was actually the most valuable player to that team, even over the likes of Jordan and Magic.

Given how efficient Scottie was for the Dream Team, that argument that Arenas has is not all that outlandish. Pippen was a real force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor, and the combination of him and Jordan were nearly impossible to stop.

There were a lot of similarities with their dominance in Barcelona in 1992 and how they tormented their opposition in the NBA throughout the 1990’s.

The Dream Team wound up outscoring their opponents by an insane score of 117-73 on average in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Jordan and Pippen were two of the driving forces that made that Olympic team among the all-time greats (if not the overall best).