Kobe Bryant On Scottie Pippen's Defensive Ability: "I Mean, This Guy Was A Genius"

Originally posted on Fadeaway World
By Aikansh Chaudhary | Last updated 9/26/21

When we remember the Chicago Bulls, of course, the first name that pops into our minds is none other than Michael Jordan. After all, Jordan was the leader of the team for well over a decade. Along with Jordan, there were a bunch of other star players, the most prolific out of them was Scottie Pippen.

Pippen was the Robin to Jordan's Batman and played a crucial role in the domination of the Chicago Bulls in the 90s. Pippen's best ability was his insane ability to defend players throughout the game, which helped the Bulls lock down the best players of the opposing teams.

While it might have been a bit overshadowed due to the stardom of Mike, the Bulls might never have been that dominant without Scottie's defense.

The Hall of Famer recently turned 56 years old and on that occasion, Instagram page Statline shared a post featuring a quote by Kobe Bryant on Pippen's defense. Bryant didn't face off much against prime Pippen, but apparently what he saw was more than enough for him to get an idea of his talents.

"If I'm a young player coming to the league today, I would really focus on the defensive end of the floor and look at Scottie Pippen. I mean, he was a genius."

During his time in the NBA, Pippen amassed several accolades which included being on the NBA All-Defensive Team 10 times!

Apart from that, he was also the league's STL Champ in the 1994-95 season. For his career, he averaged 2.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.

As for his impact on the Chicago Bulls, before Pippen joined the team in his rookie year, Michael Jordan and co. had failed to make an impact in the postseason. His addition changed everything for the Bulls.

The duo of Mike and Pip is regarded as one of the best to ever grace the NBA. They won six NBA championships together and were undefeated in the NBA Finals.

After winning the '98 championship Mike and Scottie separated and never played together for the Bulls. Pippen, however, returned to Chicago to spend the last season of his career in the league.

This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

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