From today’s perspective, the combination of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen seems almost unreal. There will probably never be another duo whose basketball skills complement each other at the highest level so perfectly. Both could do virtually everything on the court. Still, it should be noted that Pip is considered one of the pioneers of the point-forward era, the all-around guys.
Sure, there was Penny Hardaway at the time and Grant Hill a little later, but no one dominated at such a high level for so long as Pippen did — not until LeBron James. While Pippen would have been the leading player during the Chicago Bulls‘ title runs and on nearly any other team, his unselfish mentality and willingness to defer to Jordan were, according to Phil Jackson, crucial.
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“Scottie is such an unselfish player; he’s the greatest all-around player in the NBA right now,” Jackson once said. “He’s absolutely terrific… Michael’s a terrific player. I’m not taking anything away from Michael, but Scottie’s as a rebounder, as a passer, as a defender — the whole complete package.”
“He can lead a team very well. He can get 10, 12 points and 10 assists, and 10 rebounds and really be the determining factor. Now no one can score like Michael, and scoring is a wonderful thing to do, but it’s not the end-all, be-all. It takes a lot of guys, and the combination of Pippen-Jordan is the amazing combination of the Bulls,” he added.
Pip’s understanding of the game was off the charts
Leading the team. That’s the phrase that stands out from all Jackson’s remarks. The best example is the season when Jordan retired for the first time, and Pippen took the keys to the team.
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He averaged 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and an incredible 2.9 steals per game on 49.1 percent shooting from the field. He finished third in MVP voting, and the Bulls were stopped in the Eastern Conference semifinals, where Pippen dominated across 10 games.
The fact that he could fill nearly every statistical category, even with a ball-dominant Jordan, further proves how crucial he was to the Zen Master.
Pip’s understanding of the game may have been one of the greatest in history, because a player of his caliber would often want to prove himself as the team’s primary option. That was never the case with Pippen. He recognized Jordan’s greatness, understood that there probably wasn’t a greater scorer in the game and fully adapted.
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The way he played the game was almost unseen
His impact on the game is also seen in the fact that he inspired Bron to become one of the greatest ever and eventually surpass him. In an era when everyone wanted to be MJ, LBJ wanted to be Pippen. He scored, rebounded, and assisted to push his team to a title. Along with a couple of other greats, James mentioned Pippen among the players who changed the game in the ’90s.
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“In the ’90s, the game slowly started to change. You had players like Grant Hill, Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc. You had those bigger, longer wings — point forwards. They were changing the game, but at that time, it was still unknown territory,” he addressed.
When Phil says this, despite Jordan being the undisputed leader of the Bulls, and then LBJ building his game modeled after him, we must understand how important Pip was to the game overall. The way Pippen played the game was almost unseen then, and it came so naturally and effortlessly to him. That’s why he’s considered one of the greatest ever to lace them up.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.