• by Tanya Gazdik , March 23, 2026

Those tuning into NCAA College basketball’s March Madness games were greeted by a familiar face to basketball fans, ready to throw a little shade. 

Mr. Pibb, the spicy cherry soda launched in 1972, returned last year after being marketed as Pibb Xtra for more than two decades. And they knew just whom to call. 

“Now, as the Coca-Cola brand rolls out nationally, a new campaign looks to confront misconceptions in a space dominated by competitor Dr. Pepper,” according to Marketing Dive. “A new 30-second ad stars NBA legend Scottie Pippen for a documentary-style discussion of what it means to be considered second best. The Hall of Famer spent most of his career in the shadow of Michael Jordan, who many consider the best basketball player of all time.”

The campaign, developed by WPP Open X and led by Majority, is framed around the idea of being labeled “second best,” something that has followed both the drink and Pippen for decades.

“For those unfamiliar, Mr. Pibb is a soda that tastes a lot like Dr. Pepper,” according to Sporting News. “But there's a reason you may not have heard of Mr. Pibb — Dr. Pepper gets all the shine, and the market share that comes with it. Scottie Pippen signed right up.”

Pippen “has never shied away from voicing his frustrations when it comes to how his career, and his partnership with former Bulls teammate Michael Jordan, is remembered in league history,” according to Heavy.com. 

“When something has been considered second-best for so long, we just blindly accept it as gospel,” Pippen says in the advertisement. “A decade-long plot built on marketing, social media, and multi-part documentaries.”

"The Last Dance” came out six years ago. The grudge lives on.

“Following the release of the highly anticipated 10-part docuseries about the '90s Chicago Bulls, Pippen joined several players in voicing their displeasure,” notes Sports Illustrated. “Gripes centered around the extensive focus on Michael Jordan, as opposed to the many players and coaches who had a part in making the dynastic run happen. … In the Mr. Pibb spot, Pippen is seated in a very similar setting to the one Michael Jordan appears in during ‘The Last Dance.’”

Pippen brings the same underdog energy to the spot that he brought to the court for decades.

“The campaign's central message lands differently when you consider Pippen's cultural footprint," notes Yahoo’s Amber Katz, creator of All Things Lifestyle. “Across generations of basketball fans, he represents something specific: excellence that existed in the shadow of a louder story, ultimately impossible to ignore. That's the same lane Mr. Pibb has been operating in for decades, sitting on fountain menus and in gas station coolers, quietly building a devoted following of people who will argue its case to anyone who will listen.”