Scottie Pippen is an NBA legend who played in the NBA for 17 seasons, mostly for the Chicago Bulls. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star and one of four players to have his jersey retired by Chicago Bulls. His playing career lasted from 1987 – 2004 with a short stint on a Scandinavian team in 2008. Pippen was picked 5th in the 1987 draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
He played the small forward position but he could do it all: lead the offence, rebound, score, and defend. The unstoppable Bulls of the 1990s would not be the same without him. Michael Jordan has stated on many occasions that Pippen was his favourite all-time teammate.
Below we’ve put together a list of the most interesting events and news in Pippen’s life since he retired from basketball:
After more than 21 years of marriage and having four children together, Larsa Pippen filed for divorce from Scottie in late 2019. They listed “irreconcilable differences“ as the reason behind their separation.
After an earlier divorce filing, Larsa and Scottie got back together in February 2017 to give their relationship another try but it didn’t last. Larsa Pippen is a close friend of the Kardashians and a star of The Real Housewives of Miami, an American reality TV series that launched in 2011. A pilot episode was made for a television series named “Meet the Pippens”, but it never went into production. Check out this video of the Pippen family during happier days:
The apple often doesn’t fall far from the tree and that is certainly the case in the Pippen family. After a promising career at Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, California, Scotty Pippen Jr. Is heading to Tennessee to play basketball for Vanderbilt.
Scotty Pippen Jr., unlike his father, is a 6-foot-1 guard and he was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN. It will be fun to watch his career at Vanderbuilt and see how he progresses. Until then, check out Scotty Jr’s highlights from his days at Sierra Canyon:
During halftime of the Lakers vs Bulls game in Chicago, Scottie Pippen had his #33 jersey retired, becoming only the fourth player in Chicago Bulls’ history to achieve this honor. Many of his high school, college, and NBA teammates and coaches attended the ceremony. The attendees also included Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson.
Other notable teammates who attended the ceremony were Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc, and Dennis Rodman. You can watch the entire ceremony below:
Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is one of the highest achievements for any basketball player. Scottie Pippen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2010, as a part of the Class of 2010. He chose Michael Jordan to be his presenter and he had some high praise for his long-time teammate and friend:
“MJ, you have touched so many people’s lives, but none like mine. Thank you for being the best teammate; I will always cherish that experience.”
Watch the entire speech here:
It’s always fun to watch legends reminisce about their former days of glory. Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were a huge part of the Chicago Bulls dynasty until the Bulls ownership broke up the team. In this clip, Pippen and Rodman are asked how many more championships they could have won if the entire crew (Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and Jackson) had stayed together.
Pippen honestly answers that it would have been at least two more championships. Hearing them talk about their on-court relationship and their opinion on Michael Jordan as a teammate is a must-see:
The Last Dance is a 10-part documentary series by ESPN that takes a look at the Chicago Bulls’ final championship season (’97-’98). An NBA Entertainment crew followed the Bulls around during the entire season and the documentary promises to deliver never-before-seen footage of the atmosphere behind the scenes during that season.
The documentary is full of NBA stars who participated in interviews. Besides Bulls players such as Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and Jackson, there are other players from that time, including Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Pat Riley, Kobe Bryan and others. Check out the official trailer here:
The NBA All-Star Celebrity game is held annually during the NBA All-Star weekend and it features retired NBA players, actors, musicians, and other athletes. In 2011, the game was held at the LA Convention Center and Scottie Pippen played for the East. Other notable names include Justin Bieber, Nick Cannon, Trey Songz, and Magic Johnson as the West Head coach.
A fun moment during the game was when Scottie Pippen effortlessly blocked Justin Bieber, who later went to be named the game’s MVP. Check out this moment below: