I know that Lebron has recently been crowned as the king, but to me, Michael Jordan will always be the greatest basketball player of all time. The skills of Lebron, coupled with the sheer power of the man are absolutely dazzling to behold. But it was Michael’s heart that will always make him my favorite. You just simply could not out-desire Michael Jordan. He would find a way to win.
Usually that “way” consisted of one man. Jordan’s sidekick. The Robin to his Batman. Scotty Pippen.
Pippen went to college where I’m living now, Conway, Arkansas. He’s one of those guys that you never think about when considering the greatest players in the history of the NBA. However, if championships equal greatness, Pippen’s name has to be mentioned in that elite crowd. Four players, Bob Cousy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, have won six championships each. Jordan and Pippen are members of the Chicago Bulls team who won three consecutive championships twice in the 1990s.
Ok. So, if you had these four names written on a sheet of paper, Cousy, Abdul-Jabbar, Jordan and Pippen, and were asked which of the four did not belong, what would you say? Most would say Pippen. The other three are certainly considered the elites of the elite in the history of basketball. But Pippen, he’s considered Jordan’s “Robin.”
I was recently in Los Angeles and I saw this quote attributed to Scotty Pippen plastered on the wall of a terminal in L.A.X.
“Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is to come to grips with his role on the team.”
If that doesn’t scream Scotty Pippen, if that doesn’t describe his career in the NBA… and if that doesn’t speak to his greatness, I’m not sure what would. He understood his role. He knew that if he played his role, Michael Jordan would be a greater player. And he knew that Jordan being a greater player didn’t diminish the importance of the role that he was playing. Without Scotty, there never may have been a Michael.
Without Johnathon there may have never been a David.
Without Aaron there may have never been a Moses.
Without Timothy there may have never been a Paul.
None of these men felt the need to make the story about them. They knew that there were much bigger things at stake than their selfish pride. They were determined to play their roles well, to be what they needed to be, so that God could be made more famous.
So, play your role well today. God blesses the faithful, not the guy who finishes in first place.