Joining 54YO Veteran, Who Was Snubbed by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen Travels to Land Down Under Amid NRL Chaos

Rugby fans, catching the finals action live on a certain network, were left scratching their heads at an unexpected presence. NBA legend, Scottie Pippen was in the land down under for the National Rugby League’s Grand Final. Locals were left questioning why. With six NBA championship rings to flaunt, Pip has very little to do with the rugby pitch. But his presence wasn’t without reason.

It was a remarkable connection to another Australian sports league that brought him there. Between hyping basketball in Australia, Pippen stopped by the biggest night of a sport he lacks knowledge about.

Scottie Pippen makes surprise appearance at rugby finals

Australians were gripped by the National Rugby League’s 2023 Grand Finals. Those who were catching the bruising action between the Brisbane Broncos and Penrith Panthers on the local Channel Nine were surprised by an odd face. The anchors were interviewing Scottie Pippen during the halftime on this network.

Scottie Pippen is in Australia for different reasons. He’s involved with the NBL, Australia and New Zealand’s equivalent of the NBA. Luc Longley, who was part of the Bulls dynasty with Michael Jordan & Co., is his NBL connection. While here, Pip has been hailing their longtime friendship even after the Aussie moved back to his home country.

Between his NBL appearances, Pip awkwardly sat behind the anchor desk of the Channel Nine rugby finals coverage. Pippen had just witnessed the intense bone-rattling first half in his inaugural rugby game.

During his appearance, he admitted, “It’s been exciting. I’m still trying to learn the game a little bit.” Despite his awkwardness, Pippen seemed to be loving the warm Aussie reception.

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The NRL is also heading to the US via Las Vegas next year. When asked about how the USA will receive rugby, Scottie compared it to the NFL. Since that’s already popular, he believed, “they’ll embrace it.”

To his credit, the six-time champion tried to relate to the game. He likened the Panthers to the Bulls dynasty while talking about the championship spirit. However, Australians watching the game had mixed reactions to it.

Scottie Pippen’s Australian adventures

This was his second live rugby game after attending another one a day earlier. Pippen seems to be enjoying a reprieve between other schedules with the NBL.

He joined his Chicago Bulls teammate, Luc Longley for the NBL season opener. Longley, an Australian basketball legend who got snubbed out of The Last Dance, is a minority owner of the Sydney Kings and he hinted he wanted Pippen to be involved with his team in a major way.

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He offered the Kings’ head coaching position to Pippen back in 2021. It was the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic that made Pippen hesitant to accept. However, since his current tour, he’s been impressed by the NBL talent and implied many of them have potential in the NBA.

What do you think about Scottie Pippen’s grand Aussie escapades with rugby and basketball? Fire away in the comments!