Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were crucial parts of the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s.
The duo was secondary to Michael Jordan, who handled the scoring duties for the Bulls. On the other hand, Pippen and Rodman focused on the defensive end of the floor. Speaking of which, NBA legend Isiah Thomas recently claimed that the two former Bulls superstars are the best defenders in the league’s history.
“As a defender, right, he doesn’t get enough credit,” Thomas said of Pippen. “And when we talk about the greatest and best defender that’s ever played in the NBA, Chicago had two of them. Rodman and Scottie Pippen. But Scottie, Scottie was different. You know, as a defender at his best, I may have to say that he and Rodman one and two, best defenders to ever play the game. So I do want to give him his respect and his props. And then, as a facilitator, Scottie, you know, he was the real deal.”
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During their playing days, Isiah Thomas and Scottie Pippen were fierce rivals. But that doesn’t mean that the former cannot praise the latter for his qualities. As for Rodman, most consider him as one of the greatest defenders of all time either way.
Rodman even has two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards to his name to prove his status as a solid defender. On the other hand, Scottie Pippen has no such awards. In fact, Pippen is one of the greatest defenders in NBA history to have never won the DPOY award.
Dennis Rodman Hailed Scottie Pippen As The Best Player In The NBA After Michael Jordan’s Retirement
Before joining the Chicago Bulls in 1995, Dennis Rodman was a member of the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons. Evidently, the Bulls players, including Scottie Pippen, had some hard feelings regarding Rodman.
But it didn’t take long for Rodman and Pippen to become good teammates. So much so that Rodman hailed Pippen as the best player in the world after Michael Jordan’s first retirement from the league.
If you notice about Scottie Pippen, when Michael Jordan left in ’93, ’94, ’95 — Scottie Pippen was the best player in the world,” said Rodman. “If people didn’t know that — he led the team in every category. Every category. Scottie got his wings in 1991 when they beat the Detroit Pistons. He got his wings then and started on that tram from winning three championships. When Michael left, Scottie took over, and the next thing you know, he was the best player in the world. People don’t know that.”
Pippen truly became a superstar when Jordan retired from the NBA. He averaged 22.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 5.6 APG while leading the Bulls to the 1994 playoffs. Of course, Pippen was still an elite defender alongside becoming a great player on the offensive end of the floor.
Source: fadeawayworld
