"He would have probably doubled that" - Ex-teammate makes confident claim on NBA icon surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo on social media

Basketball legend Scottie Pippen has claimed that his former teammate and global sporting icon Michael Jordan would have surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo in social media followers during his heyday. The 59-year-old went as far as to assert that his compatriot would have doubled the Portuguese superstar's follower count.

Jordan is widely considered one of the most influential sportspersons in history. During the late 1980s and through the 1990s, he dominated the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Chicago Bulls, winning an astounding six championships and being named the league's Most Valuable Player five times.

Akin to Jordan, Ronaldo has also generated a massive fan following due to his proficiency on the pitch and marketability off it. With over a billion followers across social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), he is by far the most followed athlete online.

Despite the 39-year-old's stature and widespread fame, Pippen has claimed that Jordan would have one-upped him if social media existed during his playing days. On the PBD podcast, the American said (via BolaVIP):

"Yeah, I mean hey, it would have been different. Looking at these numbers, you just don't know. Being a player in the '90s, we didn't grow up in this social media era, but for who you're talking about? He's (Ronaldo) one of the greatest players, greatest athletes in the world, and 647 million (Instagram follower count) speaks for itself."

"(However) I think he (Jordan) would have probably doubled that, I'm going to be honest. Basketball in the '90s, when it first jumped off, just having social media back then would have been amazing," Pippen added.

Currently, Jordan is a minority owner of the NBA franchise Charlotte Hornets and continues to sell hundreds of shoes with his signature Jordan brand (owned by Nike). Meanwhile, Ronaldo is still going strong with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, with 17 goals and three assists in 21 appearances this season.

"I don't know if I could've survived" - Michael Jordan's comments about social media resurface amid Scottie Pippen's comparison of him and Cristiano Ronaldo

Basketball icon Michael Jordan once said he didn't know if he could have 'survived' if social media was prevalent during his playing days.

Scottie Pippen recently claimed that Jordan would have doubled Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo's follower tally if social media existed back in the day. However, the Chicago Bulls' all-time top scorer's old comments suggest that he would have had no interest in having a presence on social media.

In an interview with Cigar Aficionado in 2020, the 61-year-old said (via Sporting News):

"For someone like myself and this is what Tiger (Woods, golf icon) deals with, is that I don't know if I could've survived in this Twitter time, where you don't have the privacy that you would want, and what seems to be very innocent can always be misinterpreted."