Scottie Pippen
Teams
Chicago Bulls - 1987-98, 2003-04
Houston Rockets - 1998-99
Portland Trail Blazers - 1999-03
Playoffs
Appearances - 16 (1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003)
Conference Finals - 9 (1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998,2000)
NBA Finals - 6 (1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)
Championships - 6 (1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)
Awards and Honors
All-NBA First Team - 3 (1994,1995,1996)
All-NBA Second Team - 2 (1992,1997)
All-NBA Third Team - 2 (1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998)
Hall of Fame - 2010
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Total Steals - #7
Steals Per Game - #18
Total Assists - #33
Total Points - #66
Total Rebounds - #99
League Leads
Total Steals (#1-1995, #2-1990, #3-1994, #5-1991)
Steals Per Game (#1-1995, #2-1994, #3-1990, #5-1991)
Scottie Pippen did not receive any scholarship offers out of high school, so he attended Central Arkansas, a local school that was in the NAIA at the time, but after averaging 23.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game as a senior, he got the attention of the NBA, and was drafted at #5 overall by Seattle, who then traded him to Chicago for Olden Polynice.
Pippen did not play much as a rookie in the regular season, but became a starter in the playoffs, where he helped get the Bulls through the first round for the first time in 7 years. He improved steadily over the next few years, and so did the Bulls, who went from losing in the second round in his first two seasons to losing in the Conference Finals in the next two seasons.
The 1990-91 season is when the team finally broke through. Pippen was good, averaging 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in the first season of his prime years, and the Bulls finally beat the Pistons in the Conference Finals after falling short to them the two previous years, then beat the Lakers in the Finals to win their first championship.
It's tough to pinpoint the peak of Pippen's career, because he was very consistent for a period of 8 years right in the middle, but it may well be the 1991-92 season, when he averaged 21.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists and once again helped the Bulls to win a championship, this time beating the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals.
His numbers dipped a bit the next year, but the end result was the same, with Chicago winning their third straight title, the first team to win 3 straight since the Celtics in the mid-60s. After the season, Michael Jordan retired, and Pippen was thrust into the starring role for the defending champs.
The regular season went well for Pippen, who set career highs in scoring with 22 per game and rebounds with 8.7, and the Bulls finished with almost the same record as the year before, but his reputation took a major hit in the playoffs when he refused to take the court for the final play in Game 3 of the second round because the final shot was being taken by Toni Kukoc instead of him. The Bulls ended up losing that series, though they did extend it to 7 games.
The next year, Pippen had another of his best years, leading the Bulls in all 5 major statistical categories, becoming the 2nd player ever to do that (3 more have done it since). Jordan returned late in the season and helped the struggling Bulls clinch a playoff berth, but they fell in the second round for the second year in a row.
The Bulls added Dennis Rodman in the offseason, and with Jordan back for the full season, the Bulls had one of the best seasons in history, winning a then-record 72 games and dominating their way to another championship, their 4th in 6 years. They were nearly as dominant the next year as well, winning 69 in the regular season and taking home another title at season's end.
Pippen needed surgery after the season, but decided to put it off until the end of the summer, meaning that he would not be available when the season began. Even once he was healthy, Pippen still didn't join the team, sitting out to demand more money, which he probably deserved, but the result was that Pippen missed almost half of the season. Once he returned, the Bulls were able to play at their usual level and win a 6th title in 8 years.
After the season, Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he teamed up with Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley on a team that was supposed to contend for a title, but Pippen had his worst season in a decade and didn't get along with Barkley, and the team fell in the first round of the playoffs, with Pippen demanding another trade once the season ended.
The next trade landed him in Portland, where he was able to help a young team reach the Conference Finals in 2000, but they blew a 15-point 4th quarter lead in Game 7 to the Lakers, keeping Pippen from reaching the Finals for the 7th time in his career.
He played 3 more seasons with Portland, with a variety of injuries causing him to miss around 20 games a year and diminishing his production as well. In 2003, Pippen signed with Chicago as a free agent, but was limited to only 23 games before retiring after the season.
Pippen was a very good player, especially on the defensive end, leading the league in steals once and finishing in the top 5 three other times. Without Pippen on the roster, Michael Jordan never won a playoff series, and in fact only won 1 out of 10 playoff games, so much like Pau Gasol yesterday, Pippen was the sidekick Jordan needed to make it possible to win championships. Even though all of his success came with Jordan's help, there is no doubt that Pippen is also one of the greatest players of all time.
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