Pippen relished spotlight when Jordan retired, relates to Westbrook's plight

The Hall of Famer also said he was 'a little bit sad' in his second season without Jordan

Former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen said on ESPN's "The Jump with Rachel Nichols" on Tuesday that Russell Westbrook should be happy to be the Oklahoma City Thunder's lone star without Kevin Durant ... at least for now. Reflecting on Michael Jordan's first retirement, Pippen said he was excited to be the Bulls' No. 1 guy, but was ready for Jordan to return when he did.

"I was the happiest man alive," Pippen said. "I got a chance to be the man for a change. It's something that you embrace as a player, especially when you're in a position where you're probably not going to get that spotlight, like myself playing with Michael. So when he was retired, I was very happy, but I did want him to come back."

Pippen said he thinks Westbrook is "fine" with his current role and he respects the way he's played.

"In this situation with Westbrook, he's embracing the opportunity of really leading his team, getting the triple-doubles," Pippen said. "And they're getting wins."

Perhaps after a year or two of carrying the load, Westbrook will want a bit of help. Part of the reason no one has averaged a triple-double for a full season since Oscar Robertson did it is that it requires a player to expend an incredible amount of energy and use a great percentage of his team's possessions.

"The way he's playing now, it's definitely going to wear on him," Pippen said. "But I love watching him play. He plays the game hard and with the energy that he brings, it just feeds throughout his teammates."

Pippen can relate, sort of. His two highest-scoring seasons were in 1993-94 and 1994-95, and those were also the seasons which saw him record his two highest usage rates. Those usage rates, though, are minuscule compared to Westbrook's this season, and those Bulls were running the triangle offense, which is predicated on ball movement and allowing anybody to be a playmaker.

If that version of Pippen is to be compared to this version Westbrook, then, it must be in terms of the pressure they faced as leaders, not in terms of style of play or offensive responsibility. Both of them relished the opportunity to put their respective teams on their backs, and both of them needed a bit more support in order for their teams to be true championship contenders.

"Going through those two years, I started to get a little bit sad," Pippen said, laughing. "But [Jordan] saw it and decided to come back."