Back in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals, Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone stepped to the line with just over nine seconds to go and a chance to give his team the lead over Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. The game was tied at 82.
But Scottie Pippen decided to say something to Malone that would affect the end of the contest: “The Mailman doesn’t deliver on Sundays.”
Malone missed both free throws and Jordan nailed the game-winner en route to his and Pippen’s fifth ring.
It’s one of the greatest trash talk lines ever uttered, yet it wasn’t covered in The Last Dance for some reason. And look, I get it: even with 10 parts to the documentary, you can’t cover EVERYTHING. Thank goodness ESPN’s Dave Fleming put together an oral history of the Pippen line that was published last week.
Still, people were curious why it wasn’t covered at all:
At least we have the oral history, which was a fun read.
