Filing a loud lawsuit isn't exactly the best way to downplay rumors that you're having money woes. But Jordan's Rib does have a point. According to our own court record search, he never did file for bankruptcy.
The only Scottie Pippen in the United States who's filed for bankruptcy is one Scottie Lee Pippen of Overland Park, Kansas, who filed for bankruptcy in 2005. That sad Pippen had checking and savings accounts totaling $102, $1,200 in clothing, and $50 in an IRA. He owed $36,757.74 in phone, medical and utility bills, and an auto lease.
Perhaps this low-rent Scottie Pippen sparked all of the bankruptcy confusion?
According to the suit, the first outlet to claim our Scottie Pippen was bankrupt was CNBC, with this webhit-baiting slideshow. The paragraph next to Pippen's photo doesn't say anything about him declaring bankruptcy. But the name of the slideshow is "15 Athletes Gone Bankrupt". Maybe they just meant broke, but being bankrupt has a pretty clear definition. As Merriam-Webster says: "You gotta declare bankruptcy."
Creditnet traveled down the same lazy-ass, intern-paved road, putting Pippen in a list titled: "Bankrupt Athletes: How They Got There". Then there was InvestingAnswers.com's "20 Star Athletes Who Went From Millions to Bankruptcy Court" and Sportsreport360.com's "Top 5 NBA Players Who Went Bankrupt".
Mint.com really went off the rails, and also appeared to make up its own stupid slang with its list, "From Stoke To Broke: Why Are Sports Stars Going Bankrupt?" They simply wrote:
Year bankruptcy filed: 2003
Oops.
But perhaps the anti-Pulitzer goes to HoopsVibe.com, which wrote that Pippen "famously filed bankruptcy."
In the Internet world, "famously" apparently now means We glanced at a list written by a competitor and this is probably what they wrote. Though we're guessing Scottie Pippen is not a fervent patron of the craft of journalism, this lawsuit is really about plagiarism and shitty, non-factual internet lists.
We're sorry we had to bring Kansas' literally, unequivocally bankrupt Scottie Lee Pippen into this. But just to make sure the mistake doesn't happen again, here is that Scottie Pippen's bankruptcy filing. Do you think the real Scottie Pippen would list a $200 sports card collection among his meager assets? He probably has, like, 17 Skybox Michael Jordan cards.
Scottie (Lee) Pippen's Bankruptcy Filing
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.
