For long Scotty Pippen Jr. has been seen as living in his father’s shadow. On Saturday night he took a big step towards moving out of it at the arena where his Hall of Fame father made his name. Chicago’s United Center has a Scottie Pippen jersey hanging from the rafters and his son came up with the perfect tribute as he put on a career-best performance in the Grizzlies’ 142-131 win, drawing out reactions from his parents.

Just a season ago, Scottie Pippen Jr. was on a two-way contract. But the Memphis Grizzlies made a strong statement about their belief in the 24-year-old guard by upgrading his two-way contract to a multi-year deal and he has begun rewarding them already. Against the Bulls, the franchise where his father won six NBA championships, the 6-foot-1 guard dropped a career-high 30 points and 10 assists.

Pippen Jr. shot 13 of 16 from the field and sank two out of four three-point shots, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.  His mother, who is often seen at his games, was not present in Chicago to witness him deliver this performance but made sure to give her son his flowers after the game.

Larsa Pippen congratulated him by putting up a story on Instagram, with the overlaid text “Congrats my love @spippenjr.”  While Pippen Jr. may not have garnered the attention some might expect for the son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, he’s quietly been putting in the work. He might not be the loudest name in Memphis yet, but he is proving to be a more than capable hand.

He has averaged 12.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.9 rebounds so far this NBA season. Speaking after the Pippen Jr. revealed his father’s words before the game that brought out the best in him. “It means everything to me and my family. I talked to my dad tonight about coming in here and playing. He just told me to go out there and kill it, so that’s what I tried to do,” he said.

Putting up his career-best performance in the house his father helped build made the occasion extra special for him. “It’s a dream come true. It’s crazy to say I put up 30 and 10 in the gym where my dad had played...Yeah, definitely a special place to play, you know. I see my dad’s name up here. I’ve dreamed of this moment, it’s a dream come true to finally be able to play here,” said Pippen Jr. Meanwhile, his sensational effort didn’t escape his father’s attention as well.

The Bulls legend shared an image on his Instagram story, which featured him and his son side by side a tweet that said it was “cool” that Pippen Jr. got his first career 30 in Chicago. Scottie Pippen expressed his pride by putting up three fire emojis in the story as well.

Looks like it is onwards and upwards here on now from Pippen Jr.

Only Ja Morant stands in the path of Scotty Pippen Jr.

Pippen, who played 21 games for Memphis last season after a G League stint with the South Bay Lakers, has worked his way into the rotation. He even considered playing overseas before his NBA shot arrived, but his patience is clearly paying off.

“Opportunity is huge for a lot of us,” Pippen said on Saturday. “I’m just trying to take advantage of it.” And take advantage he has. After Ja Morant’s injury, Pippen stepped into the starting role, and just two days later, he recorded his first triple-double with 11 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in a win over the Wizards. Interestingly, the Pippens now stand as the first father-son duo to both notch triple-doubles in NBA history.

Since his promotion to the starting lineup, Pippen has averaged over 13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal per game. This has been vital in keeping Memphis competitive, especially with Morant sidelined. The Grizzlies are 10-7, sitting comfortably above the Play-In line in the packed Western Conference.

Though Pippen may lose his starting spot when Morant returns, his role as a key reserve is locked in. His chemistry with Morant has already been promising, and his rise mirrors other late bloomers like Seth Curry or Gary Payton II. Pippen’s time has finally come, and he’s not letting it slip away.