Watch: Trevor Noah chats with Scottie Pippen as they talk about what Scottie's tombstone will say, and why it will include the details of one particular game he had once sat out
Six-time NBA champion and Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen continued to promote his memoir on Thursday in an appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. One of the excerpts from the book they talked about was what Pippen's tombstone will say, which includes an infamous game in his career.
As part of his promotional tour for his memoir, a New York Times bestseller titled "Unguarded," Pippen was interviewed by Noah on The Daily Show via videocall. They talked about several things such as Pippen's childhood, career, and the original NBA jam game.
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Trevor Noah read an excerpt from Scottie Pippen's memoir pertaining to what people may see written on his tombstone. That will include Pippen's full name, NBA accomplishments and the fact that he sat out the final moments of one of the Chicago Bulls' playoff games against the New York Knicks.
"I'm almost convinced that literally to my grave this will be my tombstone. 'Scottie Maurice Pippen. Beloved husband and father. 1965 to.' You know? And it's, 'Seven-time NBA All-Star. Six-time NBA champion.' Below that it says, 'Sat out the final 1.8 seconds of a playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks,'" Noah said.
The interview went great as Trevor Noah asked the right questions. He did not focus on Scottie Pippen's recent comments about Michael Jordan, but instead talked about Pippen's struggles growing up in Arkansas, his NBA career and the video game NBA Jam. They also discussed the infamous incident back in the 1994 NBA playoffs.
What was the infamous Scottie Pippen incident against the New York Knicks?
Before the 1993-94 NBA season, Michael Jordan abruptly retired for the first time. That left the Chicago Bulls with little time to adjust, but they still had Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc on the roster. Pippen finally had the opportunity to shine as he led the Bulls to a 55-27 record.
The Hall of Fame forward averaged a career-high 22.0 points per game, while also adding 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and a league-high 2.9 steals. He helped the Bulls reach the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.
With the Bulls down 0-2 in the series and the game tied at 102 with 1.2 seconds left, Bulls head coach Phil Jackson drew up a play for Toni Kukoc. Scottie Pippen was relegated to an inbounder, which infuriated him so much that he refused to leave the bench.
(1994) 1.8 seconds left in a playoff game against the Knicks and Phil Jackson draws up the final play for Toni Kukoč. Scottie Pippen refuses to enter the game, because it's not for him.
Kukoč hit the game-winner. https://t.co/nyv8sOhMXf
Pippen was angry because Jackson did not let him take the final shot. He was the unquestioned star for the Bulls that season as was finally away from Michael Jordan's shadow and building his own legacy. He was also third in the MVP voting that year and won the All-Star Game MVP.
Kukoc eventually hit the game-winner to give the Bulls the win. They also forced a Game 7 against the Knicks, but lost. The Game 3 incident has become infamous as it was one of the lowest points of Pippen's career. Nevertheless, Jordan returned as he and Pippen won three more NBA championships from 1996 to 1998.