Why I Grew Up Idolizing Scottie Pippen

Scottie Pippen
Source: www.cbsnews.com

Growing up in the 90’s, I was one of those hardcore Chicago Bulls fans. But, unlike everyone who wanted to be like Mike, I was a little different because I wanted to be like Scottie Pippen.

Scottie was one of the best all- around players ever. He was that guy who could do everything extremely well. His typical stat line would look like this: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Yet, he was always regarded as Michael’s sidekick. He was always the #2 guy. He was never assigned to take the big shot. He did not get as much publicity as MJ did. Yet, without him, they would not have won any of those 6 championships.

The 1998 Bulls had a hard time with the Pacers. And in game 7, it was Scottie Pippen who shut down Indiana’s point guard Mark Jackson and the Bulls finally defeated the Pacers. In 1997, it was Scottie Pippen who stole the ball towards the end which won them the championship. In 1991, Scottie did a magnificent job in guarding Magic Johnson in the finals, and the Bulls won in five games. During Chicago’s final run in ’98, they struggled mightily when Scottie was injured. It was only when he came back from the injury when the Bulls finally looked like the Bulls of old, and eventually, went on to win their sixth title in 8 years.

Still, at the end of the day, the Bulls will always be remembered as Michael’s team. And I’m pretty sure that Scottie will not even be bothered by it. Why? It is simply because he has always been unselfish. And his unselfishness made him the perfect partner for the game’s greatest.

Scottie did not mind giving the ball up because he always looked at the bigger picture which was winning championships. And he ended up with 6 titles at that. “Scottie was the ultimate teammate,” according to former Bulls guard Steve Kerr. Yes, he was, because he played the game the way it should be played. Basketball is a team game and everyone has an important role to play regardless of how big or how small it may be.

At a very young age, Scottie Pippen’s game taught me how to be unselfish and how to be a great teammate. In fact, I grew up playing the game the way he did. I was never the type who wanted to shoot the ball all the time. In fact, I was happy to just score 6 or 8 points as long I knew that I did everything else well like I grabbed some boards, dished out assists, provided screens, played good defense, got a few swipes and probably, had a block.

I grew up idolizing Scottie Pippen because I could relate to him so much. When I was younger, it wasn’t that easy for me to grow up with an older brother who was practically great at everything. I always ended up as the sidekick. I guess that was the reason why I always liked Robin more than Batman. But then, it was in seeing Scottie play that I realized that being a sidekick wasn’t that bad after all. It was just a matter of acceptance and seeing the bigger picture. 

Just like Michael and Scottie, my brother and I are teammates and partners. I have always idolized my brother so much and he has always been there for me. Just like any sidekick, whenever I got myself into major trouble, it was him who was always there to save me. Still, he never, ever made me feel that I couldn’t do anything great. And because of this, I have learned how to be comfortable both, with my own strengths and also with my limitations.

Yes, it is very true that I grew up idolizing Scottie Pippen. Yet, more than the championships and the individual achievements, what I truly appreciate though is how Scottie helped me to be unselfish. This unselfishness helped me a lot in accepting myself for who I am and it paved the way for me to become a better teammate, a better brother, and most importantly, a better person.

Like Michael and Scottie, my brother and I have also won a lot of battles together. And even though, I was always the one assisting and he was the one taking and making the big shots, I didn’t really mind. For at the end of the day, we always won together and we knew very well that we would always be there for each other.