Flexing has always been part of NBA culture. Sometimes it’s after a deep three, sometimes after a cold-blooded buzzer-beater. Now, we’ve seen the flex game manifest into championship ring flaunting. And who better to spark that than one of basketball’s biggest winners, Scottie Pippen? Right after Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Scottie casually flexed those six rings. But within 24 hours, his legacy suddenly found itself under fire. Caught in the middle of it all? None other than Allen Iverson. How, what, and why? Let’s break it down.
Scottie Pippen won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls between 1991 and 1998, split across two legendary three-peats. From 1991-1993, he claimed three straight titles before Michael Jordan’s first sudden retirement. When MJ returned in 1996, they steamrolled to another three consecutive rings. And the craziest part is, those six titles never required a single Game 7. That kind of dominance feels impossible in today’s NBA. So after OKC sealed their first title in a tense Game 7, Scottie couldn’t resist dropping a little flex online.
He tweeted, “Just watched an NBA Finals Game 7. Never been in one myself, though. Replying to the comments like ‘Y’all be blessed ’ Congrats to the Thunder on the win! ” Even spicier? He paired the post with an AI-generated photo of himself flaunting six championship rings. Put it together, and the message was clear: Scottie bagged six rings without needing a Finals Game 7. But that flex barely survived the night. As three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas jumped in, dropping a take that instantly flipped the narrative.
Gilbert Arenas wasn’t about to let Scottie Pippen’s ring flex slide without a little reality check. He pulled out the controversial NBA 75 GOAT list to make his point.. He said, “The top 75 list that was put in voted in and then they voted in order that lets you know rings doesn’t necessarily matter because you have Scotty Pippen with six rings six all NBA or seven all NBAs seven all-stars 10 defensive awards but he’s sitting at 32. 31 is Allen Iverson no rings.” And he wasn’t wrong. According to ESPN, Iverson sits at 31 while Scottie follows at 32. Gilbert didn’t just downplay those six championship rings. He made a convincing case that greatness isn’t built on jewelry alone.
The truth is, the NBA system never truly built greatness rankings around championship rings alone. That 75 GOAT list valued how much a player managed to reshape the game’s narrative. It measured influence, cultural impact, and how deeply a player defined their era. And in Scottie Pippen’s time, Michael Jordan’s towering presence always overshadowed his right-hand man. So while Gilbert’s take feels a little biased and argumentative, he exposed a system nobody talks about enough.
And let’s be honest, Gilbert’s always had a soft spot for Allen Iverson. His next take made that crystal clear.
Gilbert Arenas unpacks Allen Iverson’s fit in the pace-and-space era of modern basketball
Gilbert Arenas recently unpacked Allen Iverson’s fit in today’s fast-paced, spacing-heavy modern NBA. While Scottie Pippen thrived alongside Michael Jordan during six title runs, Iverson’s prime stretched from 1998 to 2006. In those eight seasons, he earned seven All-Star nods, led the league in scoring four times, and steals three times. He also claimed the 2001 MVP award.
Contradicting ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Gilbert recently explained why Iverson would thrive in this new-school NBA, “Great players find a way to be great, no matter what the era is,” he said. “Especially if you are one of those really gifted type of players, which Allen Iverson was,” And Gilbert’s not wrong. Only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain have more scoring titles than Iverson’s four.
To be clear, Jordan owns 10, and Wilt finished with seven. Yet, stacking Iverson’s name above Scottie Pippen in NBA history still feels blasphemous to some fans. Would AI really be remembered ahead of a six-time champion? That’s your call, drop your take in the comments.
The post Scottie Pippen’s 6-Ring Flex Under Fire as Ex-Warrior Star Drops Allen Iverson Bombshell on NBA’s System appeared first on EssentiallySports.