Scottie Pippen

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Pippen was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight consecutive times and the All-NBA First Team three times. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star and was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1994. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during the 1996–97 season, and is one of five players to have his jersey retired by the Chicago Bulls (the others being Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Michael Jordan, and Derrick Rose). He played a main role on both the 1992 Chicago Bulls Championship team and the 1996 Chicago Bulls Championship team, which were selected as two of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History. His biography on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's website states that 'the multidimensional Pippen ran the court like a point guard, attacked the boards like a power forward, and swished the nets like a shooting guard.' During his 17-year career, he played 12 seasons with the Bulls, one with the Houston Rockets and four with the Portland Trail Blazers, making the postseason 16 consecutive times. In October 2021, Pippen was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

In Their Own Story

The 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks tested Scottie Pippen's leadership in Jordan's absence. Down 2–0 in the series and facing elimination in Game 3 with the score tied at 102, head coach Phil Jackson called a timeout to set up the final play of regulation. With only 1.8 seconds remaining, Jackson designed the shot for Toni Kukoč, instructing Pippen merely to inbound the basketball. Having carried the team all season as its leader, Pippen was furious at not being trusted with the potential game-winner. As the timeout concluded, Pippen did not leave the bench immediately, refusing to re-enter the game in protest of Jackson's decision. The television cameras captured an unsmiling Phil Jackson storming off the court after Kukoč hit a 23-foot fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to win the game. Despite the victory, there was little celebrating by the Bulls due to the visible friction. This moment highlighted the complex dynamic of Pippen's evolution; while he had the talent to lead and score, the hierarchy within Jackson's triangle offense sometimes clashed with his desire for ultimate responsibility in clutch moments.

Reader's Guide

Pippen is a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, once for his individual career and once as a member of the 'Dream Team', having been simultaneously inducted for both on August 13, 2010. The Bulls retired his number 33 on December 8, 2005. The University of Central Arkansas retired his number 33 on January 21, 2010. He was formerly married to television personality Larsa Pippen, and is the father of NBA basketball player Scotty Pippen Jr. and college basketball player Justin Pippen.

Did You Know?

• Pippen was selected fifth overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, but was traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the eighth pick, Olden Polynice, and future draft pick options.
• Pippen's continuous tenure with the Bulls was from 1987 to 1998, which is 11 seasons, not 12.
• Pippen is one of only two NBA players to have won an NBA title and Olympic gold medal in the same year twice (the other is Jrue Holiday), having done so in both 1992 and 1996.
• Pippen wore the number 8 during both Olympic years (1992 and 1996).