Nobody in the world of sports knows more about playing in another person’s shadow quite like Scottie Pippen. For a decade, he was the Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman. A Hall of Famer in his own right when all was said and done, Scottie often felt he deserved to be “the guy” on an NBA team. He got that chance in 1993 when Jordan shocked the basketball world and announced he was retiring to pursue a career in baseball.
My Turn
Earlier this week, Pippen joined Rachel Nichols on ESPN’s The Jump to talk about the extra workload Russell Westbrook has this season after Kevin Durant’s departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder. If anyone can understand what Westbrook is going through, it’s Scottie. When Nichols asked the six time champion what it was like dealing with Jordan’s exit, Pippen gave an unexpected yet honest answer:
“I was the happiest man alive. I got a chance to be the man for a change.” – Scottie Pippen
Scottie expanded on that sentiment:
“It’s something that you embrace as a player, especially when you’re in a position where you’re probably not going to get that spotlight. Like myself playing with Michael. So when he retired I was very happy.” – Scottie Pippen
New Alpha
In the 1993-94 season, the Bulls remained an Eastern Conference power despite Jordan’s absence. Scottie took on a larger role in the offense and led the team to a 55-27 record and the #3 seed. Check out his numbers from that season compared to the previous year when he still played second fiddle to Michael:
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | CHI | 81 | 38.6 | 16.4 | .473 | 1.1 | .237 | .482 | 4.3 | .663 | 7.7 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 18.6 |
| 1993-94 | CHI | 72 | 38.3 | 17.8 | .491 | 2.7 | .320 | .515 | 5.7 | .660 | 8.7 | 5.6 | 2.9 | 22.0 |
Scottie increased his field goal attempts, shooting percentage, three-point percentage and free throw attempts while raising his scoring average by 3.4 points per game. His player efficiency rating increased from 19.2 to 23.2 and his usage percentage jumped from 23.9 to 27.1. Both his PER and USG% in ’93-94 would be career highs for Pippen.
Pippen and the Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1994, where they lost to Patrick Ewing’s Knicks in 7 games. The following season, Scottie again led the charge without Michael, but Chicago struggled to keep up with the improving competition in the East. Through 65 games, the Bulls were just 34-31. Then, on March 19, 1995, Jordan returned in a #45 jersey and reclaimed his position as the team’s top dog. Reunited with his wingman but still rusty, Michael would fail to get the Bulls past the Orlando Magic in the second round. Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and former teammate Horace Grant knocked off Chicago in six games. But as all Bulls fans know, that was just the beginning of the dynasty’s second chapter.
Pippen admitted on The Jump that after enjoying the spotlight for a while, he was ready to get his Batman back.
“Going through those two years, I started to get a little bit sad. He saw it and decided to come back.” – Scottie Pippen
I guess being your team’s Batman comes with certain drawbacks. To quote a different comic book character, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
