When someone discusses the great Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan is the first name that pops up. Still, one must admit, Scottie Pippen was the underrated star who helped the Chicago Bulls become the best side in the 90s’ NBA.

Despite all the controversies surrounding Pippen last year, it is almost impossible to forget what a great player he was. Recently, legendary Bulls broadcaster and Pippen’s former teammate cited a very interesting take on his influence on the game.

Former teammate praises Pippen’s influence

Legendary Bulls broadcaster Stacey King played with Scottie Pippen for five seasons. When asked about Pippen, Stacey talked about Pippen’s influence on the game and how it is underrated.

Kings explained, “You talk about people who changed the game and how people play today. Michael changed the game. Scottie doesn’t get the credit for his role in changing the game. Scottie’s tree, for how he played, has the Grant Hills of the world, the Kevin Durants.”

He further added, “You know these guys who can defend, they can score. They can rebound, assist. There’s been a ton of players that have come along that are in that Scottie Pippen point forward mode.“

King was all praises for his former teammate. He put out a very valid point as to how Pippen’s influence is not credited when compared to other stars of his generation. Last year, Scottie Pippen also raised this issue and had accused Michael Jordan of stealing the limelight.

The list of allegations

When Scottie Pippen released his memoir, ‘Unguarded’, it caused ruckus all around. The book had some very controversial statements, especially regarding former teammate Michael Jordan.

He even went on to say that Jordan ruined basketball. Scottie Pippen mentioned in his book, “I may go as far to say Mike ruined basketball. In the 1980s on the playgrounds, you’d have everyone moving the ball around – passing to help the team. That stopped in the 1990s. Kids wanted to be ‘Like Mike’. “

After his bold accusations, a lot of questions were asked regarding Pippen’s pay. Scottie Pippen was one of the most underpaid players in the league. After putting in a phenomenal performance during the 1992-93 season, Pippen was only paid $3.075 million.

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Surely he deserved better than being the 24th highest paid player in the league.

How was Scottie Pippen as a player?

Pippen belonged to the legendary Chicago Bulls of the 1990’s who won six NBA championships. They are regarded as the greatest team to exist by many and Scottie Pippen was an integral part of it. The Chicago Bulls retired his no. 33 jersey as a mark of respect to their iconic guard.

He has 7 NBA All-Stars to his name and also holds the record for second most postseason appearances with 208 appearances. Scottie Pippen ranks only behind the legendary Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who has 237 appearances. Scottie Pippen retired with an average of 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

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Were/are you a Scottie Pippen fan? Help us know why in the comments below.