NBA great, Scottie Pippen has been in the news a lot over the past few months. Most of the news he’s involved in isn’t good.
- 1994 NBA All-Star Game MVP
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Pippen released his memoir, ‘Unguarded’, this past November, and it shook the core of all hardcore 1990s basketball fans.
In his book, Pippen took shots at his long-time running mate, Michael Jordan, his zenful coach, Phil Jackson, and others.
This wasn’t what we NBA fans were used to seeing. We all believed Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan were friends off the court because of their incredible chemistry on the court.
This doesn’t appear to be the case, and that’s okay. People usually don’t get along with all their co-workers, so it’s not surprising, well, at least it shouldn’t be.
You can’t blame Pippen for these harsh feelings toward Jordan. Everywhere Pippen goes, he’s asked about Jordan.
When people debated which team was greater, the 1996 Chicago Bulls or the 2016 Golden State Warriors, Pippen claimed his Bulls and how they’d win and were better.
Pippen’s debaters would often come back and say that Jordan led them to those championships, not him or the team.
The time Pippen had the best chance to really shine and prove himself as a basketball player was during the 1993-1994 season, the first retirement season of Michael Jordan.
Pippen’s play led the Bulls to only two fewer wins (55) than the previous season with Jordan (57). Pippen played great all season, averaging 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.9 steals per game.
This performance by Pippen earned him third place in the MVP voting for the regular season. Then, his play led the Bulls to a sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
Of course, most people know what happened in the semifinals against the New York Knicks.
In Game 3, Pippen famously refused to go in the game for the final possession when Coach Phil Jackson drew the play up for rookie Toni Kukoc.
The Bulls won that game on a game-winner from Kukoc but lost the series in seven games. Despite the negative press that surrounded Pippen at the end of the season, he had an incredible year, and he proved he was a star without Jordan.
1994 NBA All-Star Game MVP
The game where Scottie Pippen truly shined and proved more than any other game of the 1993-1994 season that he was a star, was during the All-Star Game in Minneapolis.
Pippen stole the show with his offensive and defensive skills. He led the game in scoring with 29 while collecting 4 steals and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Pippen was rightfully named the All-Star Game MVP for his play as he led the East to a 127-118 victory.
Scottie Pippen may have had to live in the shadow of the great Michael Jordan, but on this night in Minneapolis, Pippen proved of all the all-stars, Pippen was the brightest star.
