The previous Bulls star makes use of a soda advert to revive his long-running grievances about “The Final Dance” and his place in basketball historical past.
Scottie Pippen has discovered an unconventional new platform to air his grievances with Michael Jordan: a 30-second Mr. Pibb industrial. The spot debuted throughout March Insanity broadcasts. It options the six-time NBA champion seated in a documentary-style interview setting, delivering pointed strains about being thought-about “second-best.” Moreover, referencing a “decade-long plot constructed on advertising, social media and multi-part documentaries.”
The advert, titled “Mr. Pipp,” casts Pippen because the face of the soda model’s underdog narrative—a intelligent parallel between a product traditionally seen as second to Dr Pepper and a participant who spent his profession in Jordan’s shadow. However the references transcend playful advertising, instantly invoking Pippen’s well-documented frustrations with the 2020 ESPN/Netflix sequence The Final Dance and the best way his legacy has been framed within the years since.
What emerged is a industrial that features concurrently as product promotion, meta-commentary on repute. Additionally, the most recent chapter in one among sports activities’ most enduring private feuds.
The Business That Sounds Like a Confession
The 30-second spot opens with a title card studying “Mr. Pipp.” Pippen sits in a impartial studio setting, going through the digicam with a deadpan expression that by no means wavers. A 12-ounce Mr. Pibb can sits in entrance of him, voiced by media character Van Lathan, who interjects all through as a form of disembodied hype man. The format mirrors the talking-head interviews that outlined The Final Dance—sluggish zooms, minimalist lighting, tense background music.
Pippen begins: “Let’s set the file straight about Pip.” The can responds: “Truth examine ’em, Pipp.” Then comes the primary loaded line: “When you consider Pip, you consider what? Second finest?” He pauses, letting the query linger, earlier than delivering the subsequent sentence with deliberate weight: “When one thing has been thought-about second-best for thus lengthy, we simply blindly settle for it as gospel.”
The digicam tightens on his face. He continues with out breaking character: “A decade-long plot constructed on advertising, social media and multi-part documentaries.” The can interjects: “Pibb took that personally”—a direct callback to the “took that personally” meme that has adopted Jordan’s aggressive persona for years. Pippen then declares: “Yeah, I mentioned it. Pip is the GOAT.” The can corrects: “It’s Pibb.” Pippen fires again: “Don’t right me.” The spot ends with the refreshed Mr. Pibb branding and a product shot.
What makes the industrial placing is what it doesn’t embody. There isn’t any basketball footage, no archival clips of the Bulls, no point out of Jordan by identify. The message is conveyed totally by way of implication—and for anybody aware of the previous six years of Pippen’s public commentary, the implication is unmistakable.
Why the Advert Lands: Pippen’s Longstanding Grievances
The strains within the Mr. Pibb industrial are usually not new rhetoric for Scottie Pippen. Because the launch of The Final Dance in 2020, he has repeatedly criticized the documentary for what he describes as an MJ-centric narrative that minimized his contributions to the Bulls dynasty. In his 2021 memoir Unguarded, he took subject with how the sequence portrayed his determination to delay surgical procedure in 1997, his migraine through the 1990 Jap Convention Finals, and his contract holdout through the 1997–98 season.
He has additionally objected to being labeled Jordan’s “sidekick” or “Robin,” arguing that the success of these championship groups relied on a couple of participant. The documentary, which grew to become one among ESPN’s most-watched applications, cemented Jordan’s legacy for a brand new era but additionally reignited tensions between former teammates who had largely coexisted in public silence for years.
The “decade-long plot” line within the industrial instantly references this era. From the documentary’s manufacturing (which started in 2016) to its launch through the pandemic to the continuing discourse surrounding it, Pippen has watched the narrative he disputes achieve cultural permanence. The advert offers him a platform to push again—this time, with a soda can as his co-star.
The Marketing campaign Technique: Underdogs and Challenger Mentality
Mr. Pibb’s determination to solid Pippen isn’t any accident. The soda, initially launched in 1972 as a direct competitor to Dr Pepper, has lengthy occupied the “second-best” place within the spiced-cherry soda class. It was rebranded as Pibb Xtra for years earlier than a 2025–2026 nationwide relaunch restored the unique “Mr. Pibb” identify, launched a refreshed system, and expanded distribution.
In keeping with Coca-Cola’s head of inventive for glowing flavors, the marketing campaign celebrates “underrated fan favorites” and a “challenger mentality.” Pippen himself offered an announcement that the function channels “the identical challenger mentality and edge I dropped at the courtroom.” The advert, developed by WPP Open X with assist from a number of companies, leans instantly into the parallel between a product combating for recognition and a participant who feels his contributions have been undervalued.
The timing—March Insanity—can also be strategic. Basketball followers are already primed for nostalgia and debate, and inserting the advert through the NCAA match ensures most visibility among the many precise viewers most aware of the subtext of Pippen’s strains.
Social Media Reacts: Remedy, Feuds, and NASCAR
X reactions to the industrial have been swift and largely centered on the longevity of Pippen’s feud with Jordan. Customers framed the advert as proof that the previous Bull stays unable to maneuver previous his function in Jordan’s shadow. One consumer wrote, “wants a therapist badly lol,” whereas one other added, “nonetheless salty he wasn’t the principle character.” A 3rd commented, “annual MJ dissing tour,” and one other merely acknowledged, “Man nonetheless salty.”
The non-public dynamics involving Pippen’s ex-wife Larsa Pippen and Jordan’s son Marcus Jordan additionally surfaced within the replies. One consumer posted, “MJ busy nonetheless profitable over at NASCAR whereas Pips spouse getting fucked by MJs son.” One other added, “in case your son is cracking my ex spouse its up without end.” These references tied the advert to ongoing tabloid narratives which have adopted each households since Larsa and Marcus’ relationship grew to become public in 2022.
A number of replies highlighted Jordan’s present success as proprietor of 23XI Racing in NASCAR. “Michael Jordan is out right here profitable chips in nascar and this man stays on his nuts over 30 years later,” one consumer wrote, whereas one other posted side-by-side pictures contrasting Jordan’s enterprise accomplishments with Pippen’s industrial look. The implication was clear: whereas one former Bull is constructing a brand new legacy, the opposite continues to be litigating the outdated one.
A smaller subset of viewers interpreted the advert as intentional self-mockery. One consumer commented, “He’s making enjoyable of himself not dissing Jordan.” One other added, “bro obtained paid to air out his grievances in a soda industrial lmao that’s form of genius from the model’s perspective.” A 3rd praised the inventive idea: “Whichever inventive company got here up with this idea (and execution) has positively earned their price!”
The Ongoing Feud Between Two Bulls Legends
The Mr. Pibb industrial represents the most recent chapter in a feud that has simmered since The Final Dance aired in 2020. Previous to the documentary, Pippen and Jordan maintained an advanced however largely skilled public relationship. Pippen had spoken positively about Jordan in interviews and took part in Bulls reunion occasions with out seen rigidity.
The documentary modified that dynamic. Pippen went public with criticisms in a sequence of interviews. After that, he expanded on them in Unguarded. There, he accused Jordan of prioritizing his personal picture over workforce legacy. He particularly referred to as out the documentary’s enhancing. Pippen mentioned it made him seem like a egocentric teammate throughout his 1997–98 contract holdout. In the meantime, in his opinion, glossing over Jordan’s personal tensions with Bulls administration.
Jordan has not often responded on to Pippen’s criticisms. When requested about Pippen’s e-book in interviews, he has usually deflected or provided transient feedback about respecting his former teammate’s contributions. That silence has solely amplified the one-sided nature of the feud. Pippen continues to air grievances. In the meantime, Jordan focuses on his enterprise empire, which now contains the profitable 23XI Racing NASCAR workforce.
Conclusion: A Soda Business That Says Extra Than It Sells
The Mr. Pibb advert starring Scottie Pippen is a exceptional piece of cultural shorthand. In 30 seconds, it manages to acknowledge the soda’s underdog standing, revive a years-old feud with Michael Jordan, and place Pippen as a determine prepared to leverage his grievances for industrial achieve. Whether or not seen as a savvy advertising play or a person unable to let go of the previous, the spot has completed what few ads can: it grew to become a narrative itself.
For Mr. Pibb, the marketing campaign achieves its objective. The advert has generated hundreds of thousands of views, countless social media debate, and a degree of cultural penetration that the majority soda commercials by no means strategy. The “challenger mentality” narrative now has a face—and a voice—that audiences instantly acknowledge.
For Pippen, the spot provides one other chapter to a public persona more and more outlined by what he says about Jordan quite than what he achieved alongside him. The industrial could also be self-aware, even self-mocking. Nonetheless, it additionally underscores a decades-old dynamic. Even when Pippen is the star, Jordan stays the reference level. In that sense, the advert is much less a departure from his story than a continuation of it. Subsequently, a reminder that within the mythology of the Bulls dynasty, “second-best” continues to be a job that requires clarification.
