Paul Sullivan: Will Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen attend the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor celebration?

The Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor provides some long overdue recognition for several of the franchise’s greatest players and coaches, along with the two Hall of Famers who already have been feted at the United Center: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

But now comes the hard part for the Bulls — getting Jordan and Pippen to respond to their evite with a “yes” instead of a “no” or “maybe.”

No matter what happened between them, the Bulls desperately want the two biggest stars in franchise history to attend the dinner for all the Ring of Honor honorees on Jan. 11 at the United Center and at the halftime ceremony celebrating the members on Jan. 12, when the Bulls play host to the Golden State Warriors.

If Pippen accepts, will Jordan send his regrets?

If Jordan decides to come, will Pippen stay away?

Are the Bulls better off if only one attends?

It’s complicated, this Bulls reunion thing, thanks to Pippen’s harsh response to the allegedly saintly portrayal of Jordan in “The Last Dance,” the 2020 documentary on the breakup of the dynasty that held everyone’s attention during the early days of the pandemic.

Pippen admitted during his interview in the documentary that he waited until the start of the 1997-98 season to have ankle surgery, putting him on the sideline for the start of the season. “I’m not going to (bleep) my summer up trying to rehab for the season,” he said.

Jordan called Pippen’s decision “wrong” and “selfish” in his interview in the documentary, and the gloves were off. In 2021, Pippen wrote his memoir, “Unguarded,” in which he claimed the documentary reduced him to “nothing more than a prop” while deifying Jordan, whom he thought was his friend.

“His ‘best teammate of all time,’ he called me,” Pippen wrote. “He couldn’t have been more condescending if he tried.”

Pippen went on to write that every episode was the same.

“Michael on a pedestal, his teammates secondary, smaller, the message no different from when he referred to us back then as his ‘supporting cast,’ " Pippen wrote. “From one season to the next, we received little or no credit whenever we won but the bulk of the criticism when we lost. Michael could shoot 6-for-24 from the field, commit five turnovers, and he was still, in the minds of the adoring press and public, the Errorless Jordan.”

It goes on and on.

Grudges tend to fester and usually only get worse over time, especially when there are books to sell.

It wasn’t just the documentary, though. Separately, Pippen, who was fired as public relations ambassador for the Bulls during the 2019-20 season, also called former coach Phil Jackson racist in a 2021 interview. Pippen was still upset over the episode in which he refused to enter a 1994 playoff game against the New York Knicks with 1.8 seconds remaining because Jackson called a play for Toni Kukoc to take the last shot. Kukoc nailed it, and Pippen’s reputation took a hit, though many fans forgave him eventually.

Jordan and Jackson never publicly responded to Pippen’s shots, and it’s unknown if they’ve communicated with Pippen since. But they know what Pippen said, and now the potential awkwardness of a potential reunion is real — as even the Bulls’ party planners would admit if strapped to a lie-detector test.

Jordan and Pippen were selected for the NBA’s 75th anniversary team in 2022, along with Dennis Rodman, another Ring of Honor selection who has been invited to the Bulls bash.

Only Jordan and Rodman showed up at the 75th anniversary team celebration at the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland. The two hugged on the court like brothers, while Bulls fans watching at home asked: “Where’s Scottie?”

The latest wrinkle in the Jordan-Pippen saga is the relationship between Jordan’s son, Marcus, and Pippen’s ex-wife, Larsa Pippen. Marcus told Pablo Torres’ podcast that he wanted his dad to be the best man at their wedding. But that’s just an asterisk in the clash of titans fueled by “The Last Dance.”

The ones in the middle, no doubt, are the former teammates of Jordan and Pippen who like both men and would like to see them mend fences. It’s likely they also don’t want to spend the celebration week answering questions about the now-famous split. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who was part of the 1995-96 team being inducted into the Ring of Honor, is almost certain to be asked about it.

I feel for the Bulls business operations employees trying to make it all work. Some old-fashioned diplomacy will be necessary, and none of the department heads remain from the championship era of the 1990s, so no one is particularly close to Jordan or Pippen.

Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf isn’t likely to act as peacemaker. President Michael Reinsdorf, Jerry’s son who currently runs the team, might be wise to draft Horace Grant to try to negotiate a hug.

And if the media focuses on the Jordan-Pippen relationship, will the other honorees get their proper due? As someone who grew up in the 1970s watching Bob Love and Chet Walker, then Artis Gilmore, it’ll be nice to see those three old-timers back on the West Side, reminding fans there was some entertaining basketball played at the old Stadium before Jordan showed up, albeit without any rings to show for it.

I’d even argue Norm Van Lier and coach Dick Motta deserved to be in the inaugural Ring of Honor class. Hopefully they’ll be selected, along with Grant and Joakim Noah, in the next class in 2026.

The Bulls have a rich and storied history, and the organization was right to recognize those who’ve meant so much to fans in Chicago, a great basketball town.

Jordan and Pippen helped bring this city together during their years together, and no one can erase those memories. Can the Ring of Honor ceremony heal the wounds that seemingly have torn their friendship apart?

We’ll soon find out.