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 complement 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 proper 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, including four 20-plus-point seasons. In 2010, Pippen made history by being inducted twice into the Basketball Hall of Fame, once as an individual and once as a member of the 1996 U.S. Dream Team. His number 33 was retired by the organization in 2005.
