Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus, and Scottie Pippen’s ex-wife, Larsa, have made it clear that outside noise won’t come between their polarizing romance.
But inside noise — like the opinion of a certain GOAT — is something the pair admits could impact their now year-long relationship.
“I think had it been where Marcus’s dad or family said, ‘hey, never see her again,’ we probably would continue being friends,” Larsa said Tuesday on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast.
“I would never want to be in a situation where I’m destroying someone’s family or causing major turmoil. That’s not my intention, would never be my intention, you know? I think when people think about your dad, I’m like if he didn’t want us to be together, we wouldn’t be together. We would not be together It just wouldn’t happen. I would never want to be in a situation like that.”
Fortunately, Marcus claims to have his father’s blessing in dating his former Chicago Bulls teammate’s ex-wife.
Pippen was married to Larsa for 19 years. The pair finalized their divorce in 2022 but had reportedly separated in 2016.
“It’s awkward,” Larsa said. “It’s weird. I get it. But to us, it’s not weird.
“It’s probably weird to the world because our last names are known to basketball history.”
Pippen and Jordan won six NBA championships in their nine season together in Chicago and are considered by many to be the greatest duo in the history of sports.
“I know aesthetically it probably doesn’t look good,” Larsa, 49, said of her relationship with Marcus, 32.
While the optics are jarring, Marcus maintains his father is on board with his current love life.
“[Jordan] was like, ‘you’re a grown ass man. You can make your own decisions,’” Marcus said. “Ultimately, as long as I’m happy, he’s happy. He’s never intervened in my dating life prior to Larsa, so he’s not going to start now.”
There is evidence, though, to the contrary. Back in July, Jordan was spotted leaving dinner at Matignon in Paris when a paparazzi asked if he approved of Marcus dating the “Real Housewives of Miami” reality star.
“No,” Jordan yelled before climbing into the vehicle.
Marcus took the opportunity Tuesday to address the viral video, admitting it had caught Larsa off guard.
“My dad is a notorious trash talker,” Marcus said. “For people that know my dad, he likes to talk a lot of s—. And so I took it in that moment as, like, obviously he’s kidding. He’s joking. And Larsa was absolutely devastated. It painted this narrative that he obviously wasn’t on board, and we knew that he was.
“For me, I knew where he was coming from, but it took some explaining for her to kind of understand that — obviously she knows who he is in terms of his personality — but he never misses an opportunity to throw a jab or two. That’s kind of our relationship.”
Marcus said his dad texted him right after the incident to clarify it was a joke.
“I just think it was blown out of proportion,” Marcus said. “Maybe he shouldn’t have said it, but it’s all good.”
“I feel like our families just want us to be happy,” Larsa said. “I feel like I don’t want to put too much emphasis on your family or my family other than us and my kids that are affected by our relationship.”
Larsa insisted that compared to “a billion pros” in her relationship with Marcus, the only cons are their last names.
The names Pippen and Jordan are inextricably linked by the Bulls’ six NBA titles, but with the couple confirming Tuesday that a wedding is “in the works,” the names Pippen and Jordan might soon be inextricably linked by law.
Just kidding. There’s always divorce.