Who is Justin Pippen? More about the new Michigan commit, who happens to be Scottie Pippen’s son

Justin Pippen, the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, announced his decision to join the Michigan Wolverines on Friday. Currently a high school senior at Sierra Canyon, Pippen has played alongside LeBron James's sons Bronny and Bryce James.

The 19-year-old had relatively poor outings in his first three years in high school. Last summer, he skipped playing any other tournament and focused solely on his game. Pippen worked in the gym with his older brother, Scotty Pippen Jr., and occasionally with players like Kenyon Martin Jr., Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Kevin Durant.

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"I feel like my brother has increased my work ethic, for sure," Pippen said (via Yahoo Sports). "Just being in the gym with him and other pros this summer, and my dad as well. He's just telling me to wake up every single day and put the work in."

Justin Pippen's efforts paid off as he finished his senior year averaging 16.5 points and 4.9 assists. ESPN named him "the most improved player in the nation" and a four-star guard. He possesses incredible ballhandling skills and shooting accuracy, especially from 3-point range.

Justin Pippen cites coach Dusty May as his reason for choosing Michigan

After firing Juwan Howard, Michigan hired former Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May. Justin Pippen is May's first big commitment as he seeks to rebuild the roster as most players entered the transfer portal.

Explaining his reasons for choosing the Wolverines, Pippen said (via ESPN):

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"I was really going to make a decision between my other schools," Pippen said. "Then I got a call from Coach Dusty May. I wanted to give him a chance. We set up a Zoom call. I went on a visit, and I felt it was the right place and situation for me.

"Coach Dusty May has been straight up with me. He sees me playing both on and off the ball. He even mentioned they are bringing in other guys."

May kept his promise by signing two big transfers from the portal, Rubin Jones from North Texas and Danny Wolf from Yale.

Michigan is a long way from home for the California native but he has the support of both his parents.

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"They let me make my own decision," Justin said via ESPN. "They know it's great academically. They both spoke with Coach May."

Larsa Pippen, his mother, took to Instagram to share her excitement about the upcoming move to Ann Arbor.

Justin Pippen also received offers from Stanford, Georgia Tech, Florida, California, and Texas A&M before settling with the Wolverines.

What are your thoughts on Justin playing in Michigan? Let us know in the comments.

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