Scotty Maurice Pippen is a six-time NBA Champion, who played the first 11 years of his 17-year NBA career with the Chicago Bulls, a two-time gold medalist and is a two-time Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer (both in 2010).
So, who is Scottie Pippen? Here are some fast facts on the Swiss Army knife of the Chicago Bulls' dynasty from the 1990s
Background
Scottie Pippen was born in Hamburg, Arkansas on September 25th, 1965.
After attending Hamburg high school, he began his collegiate playing career at the University of Central Arkansas. After a growth spurt, he went on to average 23.6 points, 10 rebounds, 4.3 assists and near 60 percent field goal shooting, earning him the Central Arkansas senior Consensus NAIA All-American honors in 1987.
NBA career begins with the Bulls
After declaring for the 1987 NBA Draft, he was picked fifth overall by the Seattle Supersonics but as per an agreement, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Olden Polynice and future draft pick options.
He took a few years to develop into one of, if not the, most versatile players in the league and became the perfect No. 2 to the superstar that was Michael Jordan. Together, the duo began their dominance over the league by winning six championships in a span of eight years.
During the eight years, Pippen received plenty of accolades - seven All-Star selections, 1994 All-Star Game MVP, seven All-NBA selections, and eight NBA All-Defensive Teams.
Post-Bulls NBA career
Following the breakup of the Bulls, Pippen spent the next five years representing two different teams in the Houston Rockets (1998-99) and Portland Trail Blazers (1999-2003) before returning to Chicago for his final season (2003-04).
The longest he went in the postseason after 1998 was in 2000 when he was part of the Trail Blazers squad that lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals. At the end of the 2003-04 season, he announced his retirement.
Retirement
Pippen did intend to return to the league in 2008 but didn't end up signing with any team. Eventually, in 2008 at the age of 42, he played a couple of professional games in Europe for top Finnish league team Torpan Pojat (ToPo), and top Swedish league team Sundsvall.
He then returned to the Bulls in 2010 as the team ambassador and in 2012, he was named senior advisor to Michael Reinsdorf, the Bulls' President and COO.
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