Scottie Pippen’s remarkable contributions to the NBA are widely discussed to this day. His former Chicago Bulls teammate, Dennis Rodman, once even praised him for changing the game. This admiration prompted Kevin Garnett to weigh in with his perspective on Pippen’s impact.
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Rodman’s initial comments stemmed from his 2019 appearance on ESPN’s The Jump. While sitting alongside Pippen in the studio, he described his former teammate as the pioneer of the modern point-forward position.
Rodman soon took matters a step further. He credited Pippen with creating a blueprint for success for tall and lean NBA forwards. The 63-year-old thus urged the active players of that mold to recognize Pippen’s influence on their careers, stating,
“Scottie Pippen is probably the innovator of the point-forward. I love Magic [Johnson]. I love [Larry] Bird. I love [Clyde] Drexler. I love all these guys but this guy right here, smooth… All these guys that 6’9″, 6’10”, all you guys need to come up to Scottie and please bow down to him cause he revolutionized that position in the NBA.”
These remarks resurfaced online when an NBA fan page shared a short clip of the episode on Instagram.
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As the video began circulating, it caught Garnett‘s attention. KG supported Rodman‘s viewpoint and even paid tribute to Pippen’s NBA legacy. He shared the clip on his Instagram story with the caption,
“No lies… Big facts. Started that point forward ish… big respect to Pip.”
KG on IG about Pippen pic.twitter.com/lYGpo492h6
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) September 9, 2024
Pippen had the archetype of a textbook NBA forward, but his exceptional ball-handling skills set him apart. His ability to adapt and complement Michael Jordan in the starting lineup allowed him to blend these skill sets. Over time, they took his gameplay to greater heights and made him a prominent threat on both ends of the floor.
His career numbers reflect this impact perfectly. Pippen averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2 steals per game throughout his career. In addition to six championships, his contributions earned him 7 All-Star selections, 7 All-NBA selections, and one NBA Steals Leader accolade.
These achievements inspired many players in the following years. LeBron James stands out as a prime example of a point forward that type of player that Pippen revolutionized. LBJ’s game shares a similar style to that of Pippen’s, with the only exception being that the former has surpassed the latter in almost every way.
As of now, LBJ is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 40,474 points, the 4th all-time assist leader with 11,009 assists, and the 30th all-time rebound leader with 11,185 rebounds.
All of this became possible because of Pippen’s legacy. It also gave James the confidence to declare, “I saw the things Scottie Pippen was able to do with Michael Jordan. I just think it would’ve been a whole nother level.”
These instances show that Rodman was right in pointing out how Pippen revolutionized the game. His influence is etched into the NBA’s history and is sure to impact future generations.
