gold star for USAHOF

2. Scottie Pippen

2. Scottie Pippen

Choosing Michael Jordan as the greatest Chicago Bull of all-time was the easiest decision we have ever made.  It was almost as easy to anoint Scottie Pippen as number two.

 

The Bulls coveted Pippen in the 1987 Draft, and they made a draft day deal with the Seattle SuperSonics to get him. Pippen was the perfect player to compliment Michael Jordan.  Like M.J., Pippen paid equal attention to the defensive side of the ball while contributing where needed on offense.  As part of Phil Jackson's triangle offense, Pippen could carry the offensive load if required, but he was at his best working in tandem as Jordan's second banana.

Maybe “second banana” isn’t the right term for Pippen.  While Pippen couldn’t win the title without Jordan, would Jordan have won six titles without Pippen?  Not a chance.

Pippen was a seven-time All-Star and a seven-time All-NBA Selection.  Pippen's defensive skills were so good that he had none First Team All-Defensive Selections, and he was the league-leader in Steals (1994-95).

When Jordan retired in 1998, the Bulls went into rebuilding mode, and Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets. He returned for a farewell year in 2003-04.  

Pippen averaged 17.7 Points per Game with the Bulls with four 20-plus years.  In 2010, Pippen made history when he was inducted twice into the Basketball Hall of Fame, one as an individual and one as a member of the 1996 U.S. Dream Team.  His number 33 was retired by the organization in 2005.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Small Forward
  • Acquired: Traded from the Seattle SuperSonics with a 1989 1st Round Pick (which would be Jeff Sanders) for Olden Polynice, a 1988 2nd Round Pick (which would be Sylvester Gray), and a 1989 1st Round Pick (which would be B.J. Armstrong) 6/22/87.
  • Departed:

    Traded to the Houston Rockets for Roy Rogers and a 2000 2ndRound Pick (which would be Jake Voskuhl) 1/22/99.

    Acquired (2): Signed as a Free Agent 7/20/03.

    Departed (2): Waived 11/4/99.

  • Games Played: 856
  • Per Game Averages: 35.4 MP
    .508 eFG%
    .693 FT%
    17.7 PTS
    6.7 RB
    5.3 AST
    2.1 STL
    0.9 BLK

    178 Playoff Games
    39.5 MP
    .479 eFG%
    .718 FT%
    18.1 PTS
    7.7 RB
    5.9 AST
    1.9 STL
    1.0 BLK
     
  • Advanced Stats:

    19.6 PER
    .539 TS%
    51.1 VORP
    99.7 WS

    178 Playoff Games
    18.6 PER
    .526 TS%
    12.6 VORP
    21.4 WS

  • Played For: Chicago Bulls
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    NBA Champion (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 & 1998)
    First Team All-NBA (1994, 1995 & 1996)
    Second Team All-NBA (1992 & 1997)
    Third Team All-NBA
    All-Defensive First Team (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 1996, 1997, 1998 & 1999*)
    All-Defensive Second Team (1991) 
    All-Star (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 & 1997) 
    All-Star Game MVP (1994)
    Most Steals (1994-95)
    Most Steals per Game (1994-95)
    Highest Steal Percentage (1994-95)

    *Traded to the Houston Rockets during the season.

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