SUMMARY
- Scottie Pippen was born into a family of 12 siblings in Hamburg, Arkansas,
- Discovered by the head basketball coach at the University of Central Arkansas, Pippen joined the university's team as a walk-on.
Scottie Pippen, a familiar name in the basketball world, was born on Sep. 25 1965 in Hamburg, Arkansas. Pippen was the youngest child in a large family of 12 siblings. Both his parents, Ethel and Preston Pippen, were taller than average, which possibly led to Pippen’s tall height.
However, life wasn’t easy for the Pippens. Preston worked in a paper mill but suffered a stroke that paralyzed his right side, leaving the family in a tough financial situation. Despite these challenges, Scottie Pippen’s high school years at Hamburg High School marked the beginning of his basketball career.
Pippen’s life took a major turn when he was discovered by Don Dyer, the head basketball coach at the University of Central Arkansas. Standing at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) when he graduated from high school, Pippen joined the university’s team as a walk-on.
Scottie Pippen averaged 23.6 points, 10 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in his senior college year
The University of Central Arkansas was not well known in the basketball community due to its participation in the NAIA rather than the NCAA That’s why Scottie Pippen didn’t receive much media coverage at the time.
However, during his time at the university, Pippen had a huge transformation, not just in his skills but also physically. His height increased to 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), which eventually gave him a strong presence on the court.
In college, Pippen’s performances were impressive. In his senior year, he was averaging 23.6 points, 10 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, along with a near 60 percent field goal shooting. These outstanding numbers earned him consensus NAIA All-American honors in both 1986 and 1987. He became a standout player in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, drawing the attention of NBA scouts.
Pippen was selected fifth overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the Seattle Supersonics, but later the Chicago Bulls made a deal with the SuperSonics and acquired Pippen in exchange for the eighth pick, Olden Polynice, and future draft pick options. Pippen played 17 seasons in the NBA and won six NBA championships with the Bulls.
Pippen is renowned as one of the greatest small forwards of all time. He played a crucial role in transforming the Bulls into a championship team during the 1990s.