Van Gundy: 'We Branded Pippen A Star' After Championships
CHICAGO (CBS) Scottie Pippen's number hangs from the rafters at the United Center and there's a new statue of him in the concourse. Pippen is considered one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, but one NBA coach wonders if those honors are warranted.
"I have always wondered, as good as Scottie Pippen was, would he have been considered a star if he hadn't played with Jordan and had to carry a team on his own," Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy told Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. "We'll never know, but my point is that sometimes we make the determination after the fact. In other words, after Chicago won championships, we branded Pippen a star."
Pippen averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game over his 17-year career. His best year came during the 1994-95 season when he scored 21.4 points per game and added 5.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds.
