When Scottie Pippen first walked into the Chicago Bulls facility in 1987, he wasn’t an imposing defender and player who would eventually win six NBA titles. Fresh out of Central Arkansas, Pip was a lanky kid who seemed to lack the physical strength required to succeed playing grown-man basketball.
As expected, Pippen was often bullied by his veteran Bulls teammates, as he specifically highlighted two guys who toughened him up. Every scrimmage was a gauntlet of bumps, elbows and psychological warfare.
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Instead of giving up, Scottie fought back the only way he knew how: by becoming an absolute nightmare on the defensive end.
“I think it came down to being competitive all the time. It became a habit and it started in practice with guys like Rory Sparrow and Sam Vincent trying to take the ball from me as I developed as a young guard,” Pippen told Bulls.com in 2005.
“They would always try and break me in some way so I tried to turn the tables and used the situation to my advantage. That I knew how to defend guys became something that I could really hang my hat on at the end of the day.”
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Pippen knew defense was in his DNA
While Pippen was quick to give his veteran former Bulls teammates credit for callousing his ego and toughening him up, he never believed his defensive prowess was something that could be taught in a gym.
Early on, Pippen already knew that defense was in his DNA as a player. It was a natural gift. It just needed to be triggered or unleashed.
“I think I always had the instinct. But coming into the league and playing with some of the rules that were part of the game sort of played into my hands — the fact that you could bump, you could hand check, those things worked to my advantage,” he explained.
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Pip doesn’t see himself thriving in this era
By the time the Bulls dynasty hit its stride in the ’90s, Pippen had evolved into arguably the most versatile and effective defender the league had ever seen. He locked down players and was even able to become a really good offensive player, even though the defense was his base for everything.
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Scottie was named to an All-Defensive Team 10 times and was the steals champion in 1995. However, for all his defensive accomplishments as a player, Pippen isn’t confident that his defense would be appreciated in today’s NBA.
“I can’t play in today’s era,” Pippen once said. “This is a non-touch game, this is a shooters game where there are not any contact. I played in an era where the game was physical and you had to be physically be ready for that type of challenge night in and night out.”
“It wasn’t a game where you were going to get open shots, or you weren’t going to get knocked to the floor.”
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The story about how Pippen developed into an elite defender speaks volumes about the transformative power some athletes could tap into in a competitive environment. Those who are able to do so were able to have long and successful careers.
Those who weren’t quickly faded.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.