Every Sunday night for the past couple of weeks, you can find me perched in front of the TV watching ESPN. This isn't the usual for me; I'm more easily sucked into notoriously bad reality TV shows or trying to catch up on the hottest Netflix show of the moment. As you’ve probably guessed by now, I've taken up this hobby thanks to documentary series The Last Dance. The glorious 10-part series is about Michael Jordan's final championship season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98.
Sure, the documentary has stacks on stacks of commentary of Jordan sitting in a chair in a house that isn't his, but I'm here to talk about the one and only Scottie Pippen. Yes, the man who Jordan referred to in the documentary as one of the main reasons the Bulls were so successful.
Now off the court for some time, Pippen is father to seven children. Like most Last Dance viewers, I was curious to know which of his children, if any, have the same love for the game as their father. In a not-so-surprising discovery, Pippen's 19-year-old son, Scotty Pippen Jr., is making a name for himself playing college basketball for Vanderbilt. Before that, he was playing high school basketball at Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Times named him to the All-Area Team.
He announced he was going to play for the Nashville-based college in January 2019, and the news made everyone proud. Especially his dad!
Other offers he received were from Washington State, Colorado State, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Davis. "I picked them because I have a good relationship with the coaches. I like the school a lot," he told 247Sports. "I think it's a great fit for me academically and athletically. I feel like they needed me at the point guard position."
Speaking of coaches, Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew was on the Houston Rockets in the 1998-99 season with Pippen. So, this is kind of like the coolest reunion/crossover episode ever? Off to watch some of his highlights, brb.
The Last Dance airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on ESPN.
watch 'the last dance' on espn+
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