Scottie Pippen
|
|
Pippen33.jpg
Scottie Pippen (born September 25, 1965 in Hamburg, Arkansas) is a professional American basketball player who played in the NBA. He grew up in Arkansas, where he attended college at Central Arkansas. The 6'7" (2.02 m) small forward was drafted 5th overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who immediately traded him to the Chicago Bulls for the 8th pick, 7-foot (2.13 m) center Olden Polynice.
Pippen immediately became part of Chicago's young forward tandem with 6'10" (2.08 m) power forward Horace Grant, though both came off the bench to back up Brad Sellers and Charles Oakley, respectively, during their rookie seasons. Still, Pippen claimed the starting small forward position during the 1988 playoffs with his stellar play, helping the Michael Jordan-led Bulls reach the Eastern Conference semi-finals for the first time in over a decade. Pippen continued to improve, helping the Bulls to the Conference Finals the following year as well as 1990, when he earned his first NBA All-Star Game berth. In 1991, he continued to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with, undoubtedly the Bulls' second best offensive and defensive player after Jordan. He helped lead the Bulls to six NBA Championships (1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, and 1997–98). Pippen was selected as one of the NBA's Fifty Greatest Players when the league was celebrating its fiftieth season in 1996.
Pippen became known for stellar defense in addition to his consistent scoring, earning several NBA All-Defensive Team nods, including several on the first team. In 1992, he was named to the original Dream Team which competed in the Olympics in Barcelona. The 1993–94 season marked Pippen's coming out party, when he stepped out from Jordan's shadow and became known as one of the best players in the league. That year, he earned All-Star Game MVP honors. He had perhaps his best season, leading the Bulls in scoring, rebounding, assists, and the entire league in steals, averaging 21.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.9 steals per game. For his efforts, he earned the second of three straight All-NBA First Team nods, and he was a strong candidate for MVP.
Pippen203.jpg
Pippen was a consummate playoff performer, reaching the playoffs an amazing 16 straight years (11 with Chicago, 1 with Houston, 4 with Portland) and played in more playoff games than anyone but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In the summer of 2003, new Bulls General Manager and former Pippen teammate John Paxson attempted to change the fortunes of the rebuilding Bulls by bringing Scottie back to Chicago. However, Pippen's effectiveness was drastically limited by injuries, and he retired prior to the 2004–05 season on October 5, 2004.
Pippen is also famous for having pioneered the point forward position, which he popularized with his great ball-handling, passing and court vision, skills traditionally limited to point guards, in addition to his rebounding and scoring, all contributing to his dominant play for over a decade. He is currently working as a basketball analyst for the Chicago Bulls.
| 1992 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – "Dream Team" |
| Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Clyde Drexler | Patrick Ewing | Magic Johnson | Michael Jordan | Christian Laettner | Karl Malone | Chris Mullin | Scottie Pippen | David Robinson | John Stockton |
| Coach Chuck Daly |
| 1996 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball |
| Charles Barkley | Anfernee Hardaway | Grant Hill | Karl Malone | Reggie Miller | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Gary Payton | Scottie Pippen | Mitch Richmond | David Robinson | John Stockton |
| Coach Lenny Wilkens |