Pippen denies having the clutch gene: 'I had the best clutch player ever'

Feel free to call former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen a six-time NBA champion, a multiple-time All-Star, one of the most dominant defenders at his position of all time, and one of the 50 greatest players ever.

Just don't call him "clutch," because he'll humbly disagree with you.

"I'm not afraid to say that I don't have clutch genes," Pippen said during a recent appearance on ESPN's The Jump. "I played with a guy that took all of the clutch genes out of me. I had the best clutch player ever."

Pippen was, of course, making reference to his former Bulls teammate, the great Michael Jordan.

"It was a relationship that me and Michael had," Pippen added. "It was a relationship built that I knew where I wanted the ball at the end of the game, and I knew who wanted the ball at the end of the game."

Tracy McGrady - who celebrated his birthday Wednesday - was also a guest on the panel, and stood up for Pippen by saying he had the clutch gene, and wasn't afraid to take big shots.

He did jokingly make reference to a playoff game back in 1994, though, where Pippen was sitting on the bench with 1.8 seconds remaining while Toni Kukoc hit a dramatic game-winning bucket against the New York Knicks.

"You would never see a game where Michael would be standing watching somebody take the last shot," said Pippen. "That would just kill him."