Scottie Pippen played a vital role during the Chicago Bulls' 1990s dynasty as the Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman. Pippen also briefly showed his stuff without Jordan during His Airness' first retirement, with Pip ranking No. 3 in MVP voting in 1994.
We would like to honor Pippen and all that he has done throughout his illustrious career with our own list of his greatest moments ever.
Championship No. 1
As they always say, there's nothing like the first time, and for Scottie Pippen, it was in 1991 when he won his first NBA title. The Bulls were pitted against a Magic Johnson-led Los Angels Lakers side, and Chicago made quick work of the Purple & Gold, winning the series 4-1.
The Bulls had made it to the postseason in every season since drafting Michael Jordan, but they had never reached the Finals before. In all three playoff appearances between 1988 and 1990, Chicago fell against the Detroit Pistons, once in the second round and twice in the Eastern Conference Finals. They finally conquered their nemesis in 1991, sweeping the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to set up a Finals matchup against the Lakers.
In the Finals, the Bulls lost Game 1 on their home floor, but they went on to win the next four games to win the organization's first championship. For his part, Pippen averaged 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.4 steals, and a block throughout the series. He saved his best performance for Game 5 in L.A., finishing with 32 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and a block. This was definitely one of Pippen's best performances in a closeout game.
Sans MJ
In 1993, Michael Jordan shocked the basketball world when he announced that he was calling it a career. It was a sad day for Bulls fans everywhere. For Scottie Pippen, it was his chance to take over and step up as the team's new cornerstone superstar with MJ no longer in the picture.
That season, Pippen had his best statistical year with Chicago, averaging a career-best 22.0 points (on 49.1 percent shooting), 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks. He almost single-handedly willed the Bulls to the playoffs, where they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. They were matched up against the New York Knicks in the second round and ended up losing in a memorable seven-game series, though Pippen did have his most iconic dunk during this bout:
Houston Rockets superstar Hakeem Olajuwon won the MVP race that season, but Pippen was voted third overall — the highest he ever finished in the MVP race in his whole career. For the first time in his career, Pippen did not have the huge shadow of Jordan looming over him, and he proved that he was more than capable of becoming the team's main man.
All-Star MVP
Scottie Pippen was named to the All-Star squad on seven separate occasions, including six straight between 1992 and 1997. His best performance came in the 1993 All-Star Game when he led the East All-Stars to a 127-118 victory. The 6-foot-8 small forward finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and five triples en route to winning his one and only All-Star MVP trophy.
It was also poetic that Pippen achieved this honor during Jordan's one-year hiatus. He outshined all of the other superstars he played with during that spectacle, showing the basketball world that he was his own man.
The Ultimate Teammate
One of Michael Jordan's greatest moments on the basketball court was his epic performance during the Flu Game, and the most memorable image was an exhausted Jordan clinging onto Scottie Pippen as they walked off the court toward the end. He was literally propping up Jordan, who seemed like he had very little left:
What makes this image so powerful is how it represents Pippen's role as being the ultimate teammate for Jordan. Pippen could have very well been a cornerstone superstar of any other franchise in the NBA — that's how good he was — but instead, he remained in Chicago to become one of the best No. 2 guys in NBA history.
The Big Payday
In the second episode of “The Last Dance,” it was made abundantly clear that Scottie Pippen was vastly underpaid given his impact in Chicago. However, he actually got his big payday at the end of that contentious 1997-98 campaign. This came out to the tune of $67.2 million for five years, which was more than triple the amount of money he signed for with the Bulls some seven years earlier.
This moment served as Pippen's vindication for all the years he was being underpaid. He was already 33 when he signed that massive deal and at the tail end of his career, so at that point, there were some who questioned if he was worth all that money.
Nonetheless, it could perhaps be viewed as Pippen collecting money that was owed to him for the past few seasons. All is well that ends well.
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