Scottie Pippen was in Cali this past weekend, along with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Penny Hardaway, Gary Payton, and a few other past and present stars for the annual Nike Basketball Academy. During a Q&A session with the Ohio Media Group, the 6’7″ point-forward and former teammate of Michael Jordan had this to say about LeBron and Jordan comparisons:
“I was LeBron James before LeBron James. It’s not even close.”
Pippen must have been referring to Game 3 of the 1993 NBA Finals — I’m just kidding!
Most people who only want to compare players with the holy trinity of Jordan, Magic, and Bird will probably shake their heads at the comments by the six-time NBA Champion with eight All-NBA First Team honors under his belt. But LeBron’s game really is more similar to Pippen than Jordan.
“I’m no slouch, but when comparing LeBron’s game, I’m usually left out,” he said. “They want to compare him to the greatest, whether it be Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, but he’s closer to me. It’s natural for folks to say that, but if you look at how he plays the game and how I played the game, you’ll see more similarities with us.”
So if Scottie Pippen thinks he was “LeBron before LeBron” and also feels “LeBron would kick Jordan’s a$$,” does that mean he believes he was as good as Jordan? I’m kidding again!
MJ x PIPPEN pic.twitter.com/b8aPaMyiO6 https://t.co/2ZXPSCMQFT
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 14, 2025
Enough of the jokes. Here is Dennis Rodman praising the Hall of Famer, Dream Teamer, and NBA 50 member and telling Kevin Durant why he needs to kiss Pippen’s a$$.
“All you guys that’s 6’9″ & 6’10”, all you guys need to come up to Scottie and please bow down to him. He revolutionized the position.”
Dennis Rodman on former Champion teammate Scottie Pippen on #TheJump | @ESPNNBA
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 10, 2019
And here is why the man Kobe Bryant called a “genius” was a favorite among Fantasy Basketball players:
- 47 PTS (19-27 FG)
- 43 PTS, 6 STL (16-17 FG)
- 40 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK
- 39 PTS, 10 AST, 9 STL
- 37 PTS, 12 AST, 9 REB
- 37 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST, 6 3PT
- 28 PTS, 14 AST, 5 3PT
- 27 PTS, 11 REB, 8 STL, 6 AST
- 26 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST, 5 BLK
LAKER LEGEND PIPPEN
Speaking of Kobe, he and Pippen thought about becoming teammates THREE TIMES. The first was after “The Last Dance” in 1998.
“The Lakers were my first choice,” Said Pippen in his autobiography . “With Shaq at 26 and Kobe, only 22, they were the team of the future. Perhaps, with me providing veteran leadership, the team of the present. Los Angeles seemed perfect for me.”
Things didn’t work out, and Pippen ended up taking his talents to Houston, where he beefed with Charles Barkley. After getting eliminated by the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, he asked his agent if there was a way to get him to the Lakers so he could reunite with Phil Jackson. Jerry Buss wasn’t crazy about the contract, and Pippen ended up with the Blazers, only to lose in the Playoffs to the Lakers.
The final time was in 2005, after Pippen’s retirement. Jackson asked if he could come to the Lakers training camp to work with Lamar Odom. Kobe was so impressed with the 41-year-old that he told him, “There is a place in the triangle for you.”
Almost two decades later, his son, Scottie Pippen Jr, ended up on the Lakers, and we finally got to see “Pippen” on the back of a Lakers jersey.
Phil Jackson almost convinced Scottie Pippen to join Kobe & Shaq on the Lakers in 1999 but Jerry Buss eventually axed the deal due to salary cap concerns. pic.twitter.com/IOYAjcje5K
— BBallcore (@bballcore) August 16, 2023
HALL OF FAME SPEECH
NBA LEGENDS ON PIPPEN
VIDEO: LEBRON WINKS AT PIPPEN
Source: Cleveland.com