Scotty Pippen Jr. went undrafted in the 2022 edition of the NBA draft, but he still drew attention from around the league, with the Los Angeles Lakers signing him to a two-way deal. He’s already practicing with the team ahead of a season that will present big challenges for the Purple and Gold.
Pippen is already getting nice comments from his teammates, with Anthony Davis saying the 21-year-old has done a terrific job during the first days of training camp. The Lakers will need all the help they can get next season after a disappointing 2021-22 campaign where they didn’t make the play-in tournament.
AD has shown his admiration for the young player, who can do big things if he gets the right development.
“Scotty Pippen Jr. has been amazing. So it’s been fun to watch,” AD recently said about the rookie player.
Davis’ praise must mean the world to Scotty, but another NBA legend is really fond of him and wants him to succeed at the highest level, just like he did.
Scottie Pippen Is Pride Of His Son
Scotty carries one of the most important names in basketball history. His father was a six-time NBA champion, arguably the greatest two-way player of all time, and the best secondary star this league has ever seen. Scottie Pippen taught him as much as he could, but now is the turn of the kid to create his own name in the league and show what he can do on his own.
In a recent interview, the Chicago Bulls legend showed how proud he is of his son and what should be next for him now that his NBA career starts.
“I’m very proud of him,” the 56-year-old tells PEOPLE. “As a father, I can’t continue to lead or guide him on the court. At some point, I took my own wings and went and he will do the same.”
Scottie always tried to guide him to be in a good position once his moment in the league came. Now, that moment has arrived and the point forward is happy to see his kid fulfilling his dream.
“I tried to talk him through it his whole life, just teaching him the game and making him feel like that’s the path you’re on,” the six-time NBA champion says. “You just teach him and hope for the blessing of God and a little luck and things falling in your way, but it’s about preparing him for it and hoping and praying it happened.”
Scotty could make it to the final roster of the Lakers ahead of the 2022-23 season, but that seems like a hard job right now. Still, with the praise he’s gotten from Anthony Davis and LeBron James, it’s a matter of time before we see him making it to the big leagues and playing for the Lakers, as his father attempted in the 2000s.
