"Love you": Scottie Pippen's son Justin Pippen shares heartwarming birthday tribute for dad via IG
Michigan freshman Justin Pippen, the son of NBA great Scottie Pippen, shared a heartwarming tribute to his dad, who celebrated his birthday on Wednesday, September 25.
The four-star guard shared an old throwback picture of younger self and his father in an undisclosed location via Instagram. It had a caption that read:
"Happy birthday dad love you ❤️"
Justin Pippen is currently preparing for the 2024-25 college basketball season for the Dusty May-led squad, which features former Ohio State star Roddy Gayle Jr. and Yale transfer Danny Wolf. He is part of Michigan's 2024 recruiting class alongside Phat Phat Brooks and LJ Cason.
Pippen, who played high school in Sierra Canyon, chose the Wolverines over a final list that included California, Florida, Stanford and Texas A&M.
Scottie Pippen wanted to play with Kobe and Shaq in the Lakers
Six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen disclosed in his memoir "Unguarded" that he wanted to play with the Los Angeles Lakers after the Houston Rockets had an early exit in 1999 playoffs.
Pippen was supposed to have formed triumvirate with Houston stars Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley but it turned out the opposite as the Rockets' version of the Big 3 had chemistry issues, resulting in a first-round playoff setback to the Lakers.
The 6-foot-8 forward noted that the young Lakers squad, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, who were 26 and 22 years old at that time, was an ideal spot for him.
Pippen also wanted to have another stint with legendary coach Phil Jackson, who guided the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s, and longtime assistant Tex Winter.
"In any case, that summer, I spread the word that I wanted out of Houston — if possible, to hook up with the Lakers, who had recently hired a new coach I was a little familiar with, Phil Jackson. At least I knew Phil wouldn't tolerate players showing up out of shape or not working hard enough, as he, as well as Tex Winter, one of L.A.'s assistant coaches, would make sure everyone got involved in the offense," Pippen said, per Yahoo Sports.
There was one big issue that prevented the Lakers from getting the all-around forward — the salary cap. Former owner Dr. Jerry Buss rejected Jackson's plan to get Pippen as it would've pushed the team far beyond the cap limit.
He was eventually traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and could've reached the 2000 NBA Finals if not for the Lakers' epic comeback from 16 points down in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
Pippen played four more seasons with Portland and the Chicago Bulls before announcing his retirement after the 2003-04 season. He had all-time averages of 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.