Chicago Bulls: Scottie Pippen’s greatness still underappreciated

While the LeBron versus Jordan debates rage on, fans must not forget Scottie Pippen’s impact on the 1990s Chicago Bulls.

Nearly 13 years after Scottie Pippen last played in the NBA, people are still underselling how great the Chicago Bulls legend truly was.

With the renewed debates about the greatness of LeBron James versus that of Michael Jordan, Pippen has been called to the forefront to offer his thoughts on James’ place in history alongside his famous teammate’s often of late. And, as is usual when discussing the legend of Jordan, Pippen’s contributions to the 1990s Bulls’ success are often diminished.

Regardless of where one sits on the merits of LeBron versus Jordan or the Bulls’ supporting casts against anything James has had, can everyone please take a moment to appreciate how great Scottie Pippen was? Because as great as the “GOAT” was, he didn’t do it all alone.

An Integral Part of a Dynasty

No one should have to say it, but a reminder doesn’t hurt: the 1990s Bulls dynasty doesn’t exist without Pippen. There wouldn’t have been even one, let alone two, three-peats without Pippen. And the 1996 Bulls, the greatest team of all time, wouldn’t have won 72 games without Pippen.

As much as Jordan’s career arc influenced Pippen’s greatness, Jordan’s own story wouldn’t be the same without his running mate. It’s hard to think that Jordan wouldn’t have eventually broken through his title drought in his prime without, of course. But there’s almost no chance that the Bulls win six titles on Jordan’s star power alone.

Pippen’s role in the Bulls’ first Finals win against the Los Angeles Lakers showed how important he was. With Jordan struggling to contain Magic Johnson in Games 1 and 2, Pippen’s aggressive defense arguably changed the series.

Following Johnson’s 19-point triple-double on 80% shooting in Game 1, Pippen held him under 50% for the rest of the series. With the defensive burden gone, Jordan exploded in Game 2, setting the tone for the rest of the Finals. Plus, Pippen (32) and Jordan’s (30) combined 62 points closed out the Lakers in Game 5, sealing their first championship.

Their brilliance together, rather than just one’s success alone, exemplified the Bulls’ dominance in the 1990s. As such, though Jordan deserves his glory, Pippen’s own accomplishments should never be swept aside.

A Star in his Own Right

Also, while Jordan was absolutely instrumental to Pippen’s development, Pippen’s resume can stand on its own. Obviously, he shared in Jordan’s six titles with the Bulls, putting him among the winningest players ever. But his individual accomplishments also made him deserving of his selection as one of the 50 greatest players of all time.

More from Chicago Bulls

• Chicago Bulls’ winning ways proves Billy Donovan’s system works
• Chicago Bulls News: Coby White is that dude
• Chicago Bulls’ recent success means big trades make sense
• The Chicago Bulls seem to have a major Zach LaVine problem.
• No Zach, no DeMar, no problem? Chicago Bulls stun the Bucks in OT

He played in seven All-Star games, winning All-Star MVP in 1994. He made an All-NBA team every year from 1992-98, including earning first-team honors in 1994 and 1995 sans Jordan. A dominant defender, Pippen was selected to the All-Defensive team from 1991-2000, making the first team from 1992-2000. And he’s still the only player to win an NBA title and Olympic Gold Medal in the same year twice (1992,1996). That’s right: he was even a member of fabled “Dream Team”.

And while Jordan played baseball for a year and a half, Pippen ensured that the Chicago Bulls remained in good hands. In the 1994 and 1995 seasons, he posted his two highest point and rebound averages of his career while leading Bulls to a 78-52 overall record. He even got the Bulls within a game of the conference finals in 1994, falling to the New York Knicks in seven games. While Jordan’s presence made the Bulls true title contenders, Pippen proved he could lead a team on his own.

Next: Might Dwyane Wade opt not to play for Chicago Bulls in 2018?

To be clear, discussing Pippen’s importance to the Bulls and Jordan’s own legacy isn’t a knock against Jordan. His own accolades and indomitable will to win have attained an almost god-like quality in basketball lore. Even LeBron James mentioned that this week.

That said, it’s fair to wonder whether his legend has unfairly obscured the remarkable accomplishments of those around him. Scottie Pippen will probably always fall victim to that. But he shouldn’t. After all the great moments he gave Chicago and the NBA, basketball fans should remember him better than that.