American professional basketball player Scotty Pippen has been called an underrated player. The six-time NBA champion was a forward for the Chicago Bulls and was on the US national team. The name of the two-time Olympic champion is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Scotty Maurice Pippen has made a huge contribution to transforming the usual Bulls squad into a championship squad. Thanks to the light forward, the NBA gained worldwide popularity in the nineties.
Road to fame
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1965. He was born in Hamberg on 25 September. In the family of Preston and Ethel Pippen, the child of 12 children was the youngest. My father worked in a paper mill. The boy began to play sports while studying at school.
A tall, agile guy became a point guard in the Hamburg school team. As a result, the players advanced to the state playoffs. When Pippen became a senior, he was able to earn all the conference awards.
The young man who received the Basic Education Opportunity grant began his studies at the University of Central Arkansas. He chose to study industrial production. The talented athlete did not stop playing basketball. Marty Blake, who served as director of recruiting for the NBA, drew attention to the promising student.
In 1987, Scotty joined the Supersonics Seattle professional team. Very soon he moved to the Chicago Bulls as an attacking player. As part of his native team, Pippen made his debut in the NBA. The entire first year, the novice athlete watched the progress of the games from the position of a substitute. From the next year he was entrusted with entering the field. Since 1989, together with Jordan, Pippen has become the main one.
Confession
The guy performed all the actions of the light forward perfectly. He impressed with excellent speed, defense and maneuverability, distinguished by the player and the delivered throw. In the early nineties, the basketball player in the team was number two. With his appearance, the “Bulls” had claims for the NBA championship title. The results improved with every game. Scotty averaged 7 rebounds per match, no less than a couple of steals.
He did not score less than 20 points. The athlete was entrusted with the guardianship of the most dangerous opponents. In the 1991 final, he managed to neutralize Johnson, who played for the Lakers. This became a decisive fact in the outcome of the team scramble. This is the first time the Chicago Bulls have taken the top spot in the NBA. The result was repeated three more times.
Scotty got the role of the leader of the second plan. Due to the absence of problems with the attack, the basketball player's performance soon exceeded twenty-point marks. The player who performed the rough work has become the most powerful attacking force. Jordan left the big sport. After him, Scotty became the leader.
His talent fully manifested itself in the games 1993-1994. Even after Michael's return, Pippen was not in his shadow. The basketball player preferred supporting roles, helping his partner to increase his authority. They took first place in the NBA three times, in 1998 each had 6 top titles. Following Jordan's final retirement, Scotty moved to Houston.
The heyday and end of a career
For eight years, Pippen won the championship title. He failed to enter the best all-star NBA defense team for the seventh time in this capacity. However, the basketball player bears the title of sports star by right. The genius of his defense was made by the quickness of his hands, and developed game thinking, and amazing talent in the role of a defender.
Pippen showed excellent performance at the end of the attacks. His achievements are especially noticeable during the playoffs. In all attacks, the basketball player was included instantly, at the most important moments of the fights.
The athlete managed to practically secure the championship to Portland, for which he played against the Lakers, in the Association 2000 final. The opponents managed to maintain a minimal advantage in their favor only with the huge efforts of Bryant and Onill. Over time, Scotty's team began to lose ground in the sport. The player played for the Chicago Bulls in the final season of his career. He then announced his retirement from the NBA.
In Sweden and Finland, the basketball player played several matches after four and a half years. He did not consider these games important. Finally, Pippen said goodbye to great sport in the spring of 2004.
A family
The athlete tried to arrange his personal life more than once. His first chosen one was Karen McCollum in 1988. In an alliance with her in 1987, a child, the son of Antron, appeared. The marriage lasted until 1990. In a relationship with model Sonya Roby, the basketball player became the father of Taylor's daughter in 1994, and his ex-fiancee Yvette De Leon pleased his daughter Sierra in 1995. Taylor Pippen plays on the volleyball team of the University of Southern Illinois
In 1997, Scotty and Larsa Yun became husband and wife. The chosen one starred in the TV program "Real Housewives from Miami." In 2016, the couple broke up. The family has four children. Scottie Jr. was born in 2001. The son continued his father's occupation. He is interested in basketball, studies at Vanderbilt University and plays for his team.
Two years later, he had a younger brother, Preston. In 2007, the family was replenished with Justin, and in 2008 with Sophia. The girl took part in the first season of the TV show "Dancing with the Stars: Juniors". She premiered as a model at New York Fashion Week.
Scotty's career has had a lot of ups and downs. However, always at the finest hour, he showed the maximum results. For a long time being on the same team with the best basketball player of the era, Pippen became a partner, not a rival, of Jordan. Allowing him to be on top, Scotty easily independently decided, if necessary, the fate of the game episodes.
Among the fans of the athlete, disputes about the importance of Pippen in the history of victories of the Chicago Bulls do not stop. However, they agree on one thing that the basketball player is a real sports star. This opinion is fully supported by the inclusion of him in the top 50 players and in the list of the best basketball players in the NBA long before the end of his career.
