KEY POINTS

  • Michael Jordan once urged Jerry Krause to sign his UNC teammate Joe Wolf instead of Scottie Pippen, a report said
  • Krause trusted his own judgment and pursued Pippen
  • Wolf is now the coach of a Jordan-owned NBA G League team

Michael Jordan might have wanted another player to take Scottie Pippen’s place in his then-Chicago Bulls team.

Prior to being drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in the 1987 NBA draft, Pippen had already impressed then-Bulls general manager Jerry Krause. The late NBA executive had identified the lean and savvy forward as a potential co-star for Jordan, which turned out to be right.

The Bulls had the no. 8 in the draft at the time, and it can be recalled that Krause traded it, alongside a future pick, to Seattle for Pippen, who was immediately sent to Chicago. However, Jordan had opted for his University of North Carolina Tar Heels teammate Joe Wolf instead of the former Central Arkansas star, The Sportsrush reported.

According to the report, Wolf “had developed camaraderie” with Jordan at UNC, where the former went on to play for three more years.

During the 1987 draft, Jordan was urging Krause to pick Wolf, the report said. However, Krause trusted his own judgment and pursued Pippen still. Instead, Wolf was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the no. 13 pick in the same year.

Unlike Pippen, Wolf never reached the pinnacle of his professional career. He was often traded to different NBA teams almost his entire 11-season career before officially retiring in 1999, with a total average of 4.2 points per game.

After his playing years, Wolf pursued a coaching career and became an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. He soon reconnected with Jordan and is now the coach of the G-League Greensboro Swarm, a team owned by MJ and the Charlotte Hornets.

Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls; Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers
Scottie Pippen (L) and Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls try to stop Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (C) as he leads a fast break during their 01 February game in Los Angeles, CA. Bryant and three other Lakers scored 20 or more points, leading their team to a 112-87 win. Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images

In a recent interview with Spectrum News 1, Wolf revealed that he and Jordan seldom talked to each other these days, but they were like brothers in the past.

According to the 56-year-old, he is still one of the few people who know “the little stories” about Jordan that some people may have never heard about.

"The little stories. The things that he does,” Wolf said of Jordan. “I’ve heard stories about how after games at Chicago Stadium and the younger guys would ask him for shoes and he would always ask ‘well, what are your grades like?’ From what I heard, it’s when they brought him the report card, that’s when they would get the shoes."

"I believe those stories to be true because I know who he is and where he comes from," he added.

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