Known best for his time with the Chicago Bulls and his intense defense skills, Scottie Pippen is easily considered one of the best NBA stars of all time. He played a full 17 seasons before retiring, so it comes as little surprise that Scottie Pippen's net worth is high. However, surprisingly enough, a lot of his money did not come from on the court, but instead off of it. A questionable contract locked him into a smaller salary compared to other top players of his time, but he made up for it with a steady income and a handful of endorsement deals. Here's a quick look at Scottie's life and the road to Scottie Pippen's net worth of $20 million.
Born Into a Poor Family
Scottie Pippen loves his family, but his poor beginners taught him to value security over money. As one of 12 children, Scottie worked hard at basketball and proclaimed one day he would make the winning shot at an NBA champion game- a feat he one day would accomplish. Scottie often says that his humble beginning is one reason why he agreed to take a long contract with the Bulls in exchange for a lower salary because he wanted to know that he always had a place on the court.
Scottie Pippen Was Drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics
Scottie was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in 1987, but the Chicago Bulls had their eyes on him. They did not have a low enough draft card to snag him, but soon after the draft ended they arranged a deal to trade Seattle for him. This allowed Pippen to debut his career with the Bulls where he started over half of his games and performed so well he snagged a spot on the NBA All-Star team in just three short years.
Helped the Bulls to the NBA Finals in 1991
Pippen was part of the all-star team including Michael Jordan that helped the Bulls take home the NBA Championship three years in a row starting in 1991. He would spend 11 years playing for the bulls before leaving them to play for the Houston Rockets. From there he moved onto the Portland Trail Blazers but after several years returned to the Chicago Bulls to play out his last two years before officially retiring.
Scottie Pippen's Low Salary
Compared to other mega NBA stars of the same time period, Pippen was a deal for the Bulls because he agreed to sign a seven-year $18 million contract extension in 1991. He wanted the security, and apparently, it didn't hurt too much since Scottie Pippen's net worth today is still $20 million. Scottie gathered money from a variety of endorsement deals while on the court including Nike, Frito-Lay, Ameritech Cellular TV, Right Guard, Coca-Cola, and McDonald's. He currently serves as a senior advisor to the Bulls' president and is likely pulling in a modest salary for his help.