BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN SCOTTIE PIPPEN RETIRED BASKETBALL PLAYER FOR THE CHICAGO BULLS, HUSTON ROCKETS AND PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS"

               BLACK               SOCIAL               HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                  Scottie Pippen is a retired forward who played for the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. During his 17-year career, he won six NBA titles. He was a seven-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection. He is a member of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Early Years

Scottie Pippen was a point guard at Hamburg High School, leading the team to the state playoffs and earning all-conference honors as a senior, but was not offered any college scholarships.

College Career

Pippen was a walk-on at the University of Central Arkansas, an NAIA school. During his college career, he continued to grow, reaching 6-feet, 8-inches tall. As a senior, he averaged 23.6 PPG and 10 RPG, drawing the attention of NBA scouts.

Professional Career

Chicago Bulls (1987-98)

Scottie Pippen was the fifth pick by the Seattle SuperSonics at the 1987 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls for the eighth pick (Olden Polynice). As a rookie, he averaged 7.9 points and 3.8 rebounds. His production increased to 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists his second season -- his first as a starter.
Pippen established himself as a star during the 1990-91 season, averaging 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists, teaming with Michael Jordan to lead the Bulls to the NBA title. The Pippen-Jordan duo powered Chicago to the NBA championship at the end of the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons, too, with Pippen establishing himself as one of the league's top defenders.
Jordan retired from basketball for two seasons, giving Pippen a chance to take on a bigger role. He became the Bulls most dominant player, leading the team in scoring, assists and steals. However, during the playoffs, Pippen chose to sit out the final play of Game 3 against the Knicks when coach Phil Jackson drew up the final play for Toni Kukoc. With Pippen on the bench, Kukoc made the shot and the Bulls won the game. Chicago also won Game 4, but in Game 5, Pippen was whistled for a controversial foul, giving the Knicks a win and propelling them to a victory.
The next season, Pippen made NBA history, becoming just the second player in NBA history to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks (a feat later matched by Kevin Garnett and LeBron James). Late in the 1994-95 season, Jordan returned from retirement, but the Bulls were once again eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
With Jordan back for a full season in 1995-96, Pippen returned to a complementary role, seeing a drop in his scoring and rebounding averages, while increasing his assists per game. Pippen started 77 games, helping the Bulls to a league-record 72 regular-season wins and a fourth NBA championship. Chicago repeated in 1996-97, winning 69 games and defeating the Jazz in the NBA Finals.
Pippen underwent foot surgery in the summer of 1997, forcing him to miss the first 35 games of the season. Pippen also battled back pain while playing 44 games in the 1997-98 regular season. His back issues flared up during Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, limiting him to 26 minutes of action as the Bulls clinched their sixth NBA title.

Houston Rockets (1998-99)

Scottie Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets before the lockout-shortened season in 1998-99.
Houston went 31-19 but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Portland Trail Blazers (1999-2003)

He was traded in the offseason to the Blazers, leading them to the Western Conference Finals in his first season in Portland. The Blazers held a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals and Pippen appeared to be on the verge of his seventh Finals appearance, but the Lakers pulled off a comeback and eliminated Portland.
The Blazers made the playoffs each of the next three seasons, but were eliminated in the first round each time. Pippen continued to battle an assortment of injuries, reducing his effectiveness each season.

Chicago Bulls (2003-04)

Following the 2002-03 season, Pippen signed with the Bulls as a free agent, returning to the city where he started his career. Pippen played just 23 games before retiring because of soreness in his left knee.
He retired as the NBA's all-time leader for career assists (6,135) and steals (2,307) by a forward. He finished with 18,940 points, 7,494 rebounds and 947 blocks. The Bulls retired his number 33 during the 2005-06 season.

Olympics

Pippen was one of the 12 players selected as part of the 1992 "Dream Team", the first U.S. Men's basketball team comprised of professional players to compete at the Olympics. Pippen started three of the team's eight games, averaging 9.0 PPG en route to the Gold Medal.
Four years later, Pippen returned for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He started all but one game for the team, finishing as the team's fourth-leading scorer (11.0 PPG) and earning his second gold medal.

Post-Playing Career

Since retiring, Pippen has worked as a basketball analyst for the Chicago Bulls and a special assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. He has also done analyst work on ESPN and ABC.
He made a brief basketball comeback in January of 2008, playing two games in the Finnish league and the Swedish league. That did not affect his eligibility for the Basketball Hall of Fame, and he was elected for induction in 2010.

Personal

Scottie Pippen was born on September 25, 1965 in Hamburg, Ark. He was one of 12 children born to Preston and Ethel Pippen. He has been married twice, once to Karen McCollum (divorced), and currently to Larsa Younan. He has five children.