Second-greatest player in the history of each NBA franchise
Chicago Bulls: Scottie Pippen
Greatest Player: Michael Jordan
It’s no coincidence Michael Jordan couldn’t win playoff series in his three seasons before the arrival of Scottie Pippen. The latter became the gold standard for co-stars, a point forward for the Chicago Bulls and one of history’s best perimeter defenders.
Pippen became an All-Star in just his third season. By the conclusion of his fourth, he was an NBA champion after pestering Magic Johnson into 43.1 percent shooting and 22 turnovers across five games in the 1991 NBA Finals.
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On this day in #Bulls history in 2005, Scottie Pippen’s No. 33 jersey was retired. pic.twitter.com/WvMuPughQg
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 9, 2019
From there, Pippen became a perennial All-Star and one of the best two-way players in the NBA, averaging 20.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game between 1991-97.
He even led Chicago in all five major statistical categories — points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks — in MJ’s absence during the 1993-94 campaign, one of only five players in NBA history to do so.
After that first title, the Bulls took over the NBA by rattling off five more championships over the next seven years. Pippen never was Finals MVP, but his all-around contributions were necessary for the development and maintaining of one of the league’s best dynasties.