NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen (Photo credit should read VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 2. Scottie Pippen

It was as though someone took Scottie Pippen into a lab and decided to create the ultimate sidekick.

There was essentially nothing Pippen couldn’t do. He was long and tall standing at 6’7 with a 7’3′ wingspan. He was a capable 3-point shooter, butter from mid-range, and at least once a game, he was putting a defender on a poster.

The only problem with Pippen was that he was the perfect sidekick but never good enough to be a team’s leading man. With Michael Jordan far and away the better of the two, Pippen sat back and watched arguably the game’s greatest player receive most of the praise and adulation.

Don’t let Pippen’s critics fool you though, he was very much a terrific player. Pippen was a multiple-time All-Star and was considered as the best on ball defender in the 90s. Without Pippen, Jordan won only one playoff game and didn’t come close to contending for a championship. With him, the Chicago Bulls took home six NBA titles.

Pippen clearly wasn’t on the level of Jordan but without him, we’re confident Jordan wouldn’t have won as much as he did.