How does Scottie Pippen's net worth now compare to his Chicago Bulls teammates of their dominant era
Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen’s net worth is estimated to be around $20 million as of 2022. Pippen played 17 seasons in the NBA for the Bulls as well as the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. During his career, he earned a total of $109 million in salary with additional tens of millions more in earnings from endorsements.
Despite being known for his time with the Bulls, the majority of Pippen’s career earnings came from his contract with the Rockets. Pippen signed a five-year, $67.2 million contract with Houston prior to the 1998-1999 season.
The contract made up for Pippen being notoriously underpaid while playing alongside fellow Bulls legend Michael Jordan. In the 1997-1998 season, for example, Jordan made $33 million while Pippen made $2.8 million.
However, a series of poor financial decisions and an expensive divorce from his ex-wife Larsa Pippen caused Scottie Pippen’s net worth to decrease substantially over the years. It is estimated that he lost a total of $120 million. This includes the $4 million that Pippen spent on a private jet that did not even work.
As for Pippen’s most iconic NBA team, that has to be his 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls team that finished with a then-NBA record 72 wins and went on to win the title. So on that note, here's how Scottie Pippen’s net worth as of 2022 compares to his 1996 Bulls teammates.
For more on Scottie Pippen's net worth, click here.
Scottie Pippen’s net worth now compared to his 1996 Chicago Bulls teammates
Scottie Pippen’s net worth may still be a lot to the average NBA fan, but it's nowhere near as much as Michael Jordan’s net worth. Jordan’s net worth is currently valued at $1.6 billion as of 2022 and was even as high as $2.1 billion in 2020. Back in 2020, Forbes reported that Jordan was the richest former professional athlete in the world.
Michael Jordan made less in salary throughout his NBA career ($90 million) than Scottie Pippen did. However, most of his massive earnings have come from his royalty deals with Nike as well as his ownership of the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets franchise has reportedly risen in value from $175 million in 2010, when Jordan bought the team, to $1.5 billion today.
For more on Michael Jordan's net worth, click here.
Meanwhile, Dennis Rodman, the Bulls’ third star in 1996, is in a similar boat to Pippen. However, Rodman was even more irresponsible with his $27 million in career earnings. Between poor financial decisions, drug and alcohol addictions, NBA fines, and his divorce, Rodman has an estimated net worth of just $500,000 as of 2022.
For more on Dennis Rodman's net worth, click here.
So it’s pretty clear that Michael Jordan is head and shoulders above the rest of the 1996 Chicago Bulls’ “Big Three” in terms of net worth.
Here's how Scottie Pippen’s net worth compares to some of the 1996 Bulls role players:
Steve Kerr: $45 million
Toni Kukoc: $30 million
Luc Longley: $20 million
Ron Harper: $12 million
Bill Wennington: $4 million
So overall, if you just look at modern-day net worth, it’s hard to tell that Scottie Pippen was the secondary star of the 1996 Bulls. But luckily for Pippen, money isn’t everything and there’s nothing that can take away from his legendary Hall of Fame career.
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