Karl Malone talks about how Scottie Pippen could score 20 points if he wanted to and also stop anybody from getting a bucket.
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The Chicago Bulls lucked out in the 1987 NBA Draft with two incredibly important picks at 5 and 10. Michael Jordan had just lost his third straight first round series, and with him having won one Playoff game out of the 10 he played, it was glaringly apparent he needed help on both ends of the floor. That help came in the form of Scottie Pippen.
Due to a draft night trade between the Seattle Supersonics and the Bulls, the latter landed Scottie Pippen and Seattle got themselves the big-man they wanted in Olden Polynice. An often overlooked acquisition that night was the Bulls drafting Horace Grant with the 10th overall pick.
Scottie showed flashes of becoming the defensively talented, point-forward he was destined to be in his rookie season. Before the Bulls knew it, he was a legitimate second option behind Michael Jordan by the time they made it past the Detroit Pistons in merely his 4th season in the league.
Karl Malone on Scottie Pippen as a part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary.
While Scottie Pippen was an incredible player on both ends of the floor, it was clear that Michael Jordan was the man for the Chicago Bulls. Fans questioned if Pippen was capable of being a first option. Well, they received the answer to that question soon enough as he was forced into becoming the number one option in 1993-94.
With MJ retiring to go play baseball, the Chicago Bulls were looked at as an afterthought. However, stellar play from Scottie led the Bulls to a 55-27 record. Pippen involved his teammates more than Jordan ever did on plays and averaging 22 points while he was at it. He would also finish third in league MVP voting.
Unfortunately for the defending champs, they would lose a heartbreaker to the Knicks in 7 games in the ECSF. Despite this, Scottie Pippen proved he was capable of being in the uppermost echelon of players in the NBA and Karl Malone respects that. [ at the 1:31 mark]
“A lot of the world didn’t know what kind of an athlete he was. From Central Arkansas, small town; I knew he was that talented. If he wanted to score 20, he would score 20. If he wanted to stop you from scoring a bucket, he’d stop you from scoring a bucket. His mindset was that.”
Despite losing to Scottie Pippen and the Bulls twice in the NBA Finals and also succumbing to one of the greatest lines of trash talk in NBA history, it’s refreshing to see an NBA legend put all of it aside and give credit where credit is due.
