NBA great Scottie Pippen, who helped propel the Chicago Bulls to superstardom with six championship titles in the 1990s, opened up on his relationship with basketball legend Michael Jordan and how "The Last Dance" painted their team's dynasty.
Ahead of his debut memoir "Unguarded" hitting shelves, the NBA Hall of Famer sat down with "Good Morning America," sharing intimate details about his road to sports fame and what he really thought of MJ's highly lauded docuseries.
MORE: Michael Jordan reveals 1st person that helped him get where he is todayThe six-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist calls Jordan "selfish" in the early pages of his new book and explained that he wasn't aware the docuseries would focus so heavily on Jordan.
"I thought it was a great documentary," Pippen said, adding, "I felt like the documentary only told a story that sorta glorified him as a player and not glorified us as a team."
Pippen continued, "He was a great scorer, but a lotta things that he did -- was based on him as individual. And I think basketball is a team game."
While their chemistry on the court was undeniable, Pippen said after the buzzer blared it was a different story.
"It wasn't what you saw on the court," he said bluntly. "We always will have that respect for each other but our friendship is not where people see it on TV think it is."
When asked if he thought Jordan would be as successful without him, Pippen said in short, "no."
"But I don't think I would be successful without him. I think we both complemented each other in a lot of different ways," he explained. "We kind of competed and pushed each other to be great."
Pippen said "The Last Dance" was a chance for Jordan to tell his story, but now this memoir is a chance for him to tell his own.
His journey began when he first learned the game on a dirt court in Hamburg, Arkansas, with a rim attached to an old light pole, where Pippen said he played some of his best games.
"I was learning. I was -- growing, you know?" he said of his earliest basketball days. "[That] was the fun part because there wasn't any expectations or pressure."
Pippen, the youngest of 12 children, said he bore "a lot of responsibilities" after his older brother Ronnie was partially paralyzed by a school bully. A stroke also left his father disabled.
"I grew up fast -- at a young age, you know, to help take care of them and to be there for my mom," he explained.
Those impactful years became a catalyst for Pippen to play sports.
"It was motivating. I mean, I was tryin' to find my way out," he said.
Early in his high school basketball program, Pippen was kicked off the team. While he was later allowerd back on, he had no college scholarship prospects. Pippen went on to play for the University of Central Arkansas and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls as the fifth overall pick at age 21.
"All the work that I put in really became fruitful for me that day. And I was able to finally take a deep breath," he recalled.
The book also details a dark moment in his relationship with then-Bulls head coach Phil Jackson. In the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals playoff game against the New York Knicks, Jackson drew up the game winning shot off an inbound pass for Toni Kukoc over Pippen, who decided to sit out with 1.8 seconds remaining.
Pippen would later call Jackson a racist because of that decision.
"I felt like that I had earned my right to take that last shot," Pippen said. "And I felt like he disrespected me at that moment."
He continued, "When you're a player and you're in the heat of the moment those things go through your mind. But now that it's over -- you know, I've had a lot more great times with Phil than I did bad times. And that's why I say that."
Pippen's illustrious 17-season career in the NBA earned him the honor of being named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. He retired in 2004 and had his jersey retired by the Bulls in 2005.
"That was a special moment for me. It just, you know, shows the hard work that I have put in and, you know, the belief that I had in myself," Pippen said of the ceremony in Chicago.
He recognized just how fast his career went, while snapping his fingers together and said "you're always tryin' to prepare -- for the next challenge."
Finally, when it comes to his legacy, Pippen said he wants to be remembered "as the greatest of all time."