The Chicago Bulls dynasty is one of the greatest in sports, and it helped turn the Bulls into a global brand.
With just a dominant superstar in Michael Jordan, that time has made for various storytelling opportunities. But when considering other events, such as Phil Jackson’s hiring or Dennis Rodman going from a Bulls rival to one of the team’s stars, the narratives seem endless.
Just last year, ESPN released “The Last Dance,” its 10-part documentary series centered around Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Bulls. But even the series needed to revisit years past and other seasons to get a full grasp of that final Bulls championship team.
Later this year, six-time NBA champion and Bulls legend Scottie Pippen will be telling his own story. On Wednesday morning, Pippen announced that he has written a memoir titled “Unguarded.” The book, which will be published by Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books, is scheduled for release on Nov. 16, 2021 and is available now for preorder.
Ready to hear my side of the story? UNGUARDED. You’ll read my takes on playing with MJ and Rodman and being coached by Phil Jackson. From a small town in Arkansas to the big time in the NBA. On sale 11.16.21. PRE-ORDER NOW. #pippenunguarded
The book is co-written with award-winning sports writer Michael Arkush. Arkush has previously helped write Phil Jackson’s “The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul,” which addressed the 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers, and Ray Allen’s “From the Outside: My Journey Through Life and the Game I Love.”
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Pippen’s Story
“Unguarded” is being described as an opportunity for Pippen to share his own story from his own perspective. On an Instagram post from Pippen, the graphic says the book will provide “a raw, unvarnished look” into his life and role on the Bulls.
“The Last Dance was really more about Michael Jordan than the Chicago Bulls. It was his story,” Pippen said in his Instagram story, as reported by NBC Sports Chicago. “This book is mine.”
The book’s information page on Simon & Schuster’s website includes the following description:
“An unflinching memoir from the six-time NBA Champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and Hall of Famer—revealing how Scottie Pippen, the youngest of twelve, overcame two family tragedies and universal disregard by college scouts to become an essential component of the greatest basketball dynasty of the last fifty years.”
The book also promises stories that have never been told, takes on his peers and opponents, his feelings about being a sidekick and details concerning how he “should have” been more respected. One of the untold stories in the memoir will concern the Bulls’ playoff game against the New York Knicks in 1994 when Pippen took himself out of the game with just 1.8 seconds left.
According to Literary Hub, Publishers Marketplace reported last March that Pippen and Arkush were working on a memoir.
Other Books by Bulls
Pippen is far from the first Bulls player to have written an autobiographical book.
Most recently, former Bull and current New York Knicks player Derrick Rose released “I’ll Show You” in September 2019. The book was written with award-winning sports writer Sam Smith, currently of Bulls.com and formerly of the Chicago Tribune.
Bill Wennington, who played for the Bulls from 1993 to 1999, shared an insider’s look at the Bulls dynasty in his book “Bill Wennington’s Tales From the Bulls Hardwood.” While on the Bulls, Dennis Rodman released “Bad As I Wanna Be.” Luc Longley detailed the historic 72-10 1995-96 championship season in “Running with the Bulls: Luc Longley’s Championship Season at Chicago.”
Craig Hodges took a different approach with his book. Titled “Long Shot: The Triumphs and Struggles of an NBA Freedom Fighter,” Hodges details his activism work and how it affected his basketball career.
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Chicago Bulls Legend to Release ‘An Unflinching Memoir’