Kanye West was given one of the most extraordinary film sessions on Bulls legend Scottie Pippen by none other than Kobe Bryant.
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It goes without saying that Pippen was one of the NBA’s most impactful players in the 90s. He wasn’t just a Robin to MJ’s Batman – Scottie was perhaps the best defender in the league for at least a half-decade.
What set Pippen apart was that he combined his unique physical gifts with elite mental ability and basketball IQ. Players with his wingspan didn’t move like him, and those who did move like him weren’t nearly as big.
Scottie Pippen was truly a force of nature on the defensive end. In fact, he was so good that many Bulls fans from that era consider it a travesty that he never won DPOY honors.
It is clear that Kobe Bryant modeled his game after Michael Jordan, and with good reason. MJ is perhaps the best offensive player in NBA history, bar none. But Kobe also stole off of MJ’s best mate on the court.
“All Kobe Bryant did was show me videos of Scottie Pippen”: Kanye West
Kanye West was associated with Kobe Bryant for one of the most memorable ad campaigns involving an NBA player. This association drew the 2 black American icons closer to each other.
According to the Chicago-born rapper and superproducer, Kobe even invited him to one of his practice sessions. Kanye was perhaps hoping to see some genius in live action, putting in work. What he got, instead, was a film session dedicated to the memory of Scottie Pippen:
“I went to the gym with Kobe. We didn’t even really get to play ball. All he did was show me videos of Scottie Pippen. And you know Scottie Pippen has got a wide wingspan.”
“But he didn’t talk about that, he talked about how fast he was moving his feet. And he was like ‘yo, this is inhuman. This is inhumane. And he was studying that, he wanted to learn how fast he moved his feet.”
