Last week, Scottie Pippen announced that he’s planning to end his retirement and return to the NBA at age 41. As expected, the majority of the sports world criticized Pippen’s decision, arguing that he can no longer compete and would therefore tarnish his reputation as one of the best players in the game’s history.

Despite what the critics say, I have no doubt that Pippen still has the talent to compete with professional athletes. As one of the 50 greatest players of all time –a point I will defend to the death!!!!!!—Pippen has the experience and basketball smarts to make up for his deteriorating skills. Although he won’t be able to compete on (or near) an all-star level, he certainly will be able to provide 10-20 minutes of solid play for a championship contender.

Nevertheless, Pippen’s comeback will be probably be short-lived and deemed unsuccessful. Why? Because the world expects more from a player of Pippen’s caliber. Case in point: Michael Jordan’s final comeback with the Washington Wizards was deemed a failure, even though he averaged more than 20 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds per game. Although he was still among the best in the league, he was no longer the MJ that we knew and worshipped.

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