Underneath the shade of sprawling trees and bushes, NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is netting shot after shot. “Bro, stop doing the same shots!” his son Justin exclaims as Scottie rotates between shooting from the court’s imaginary elbows in their backyard in Hidden Hills. Periodically, he’ll bank one in, nodding to his son that he’s still got that masterful shooting touch.
It’s a beautiful afternoon in mid-May and we’re at the Pippens home for a “Day in the Life” shoot with Tissot, and Justin and Scottie are going back and forth in their game of PIG. Well, initially, they were playing HORSE, but as the ball continued to find the net, both father and son quickly realized they’d be there until dusk if they didn’t make a pivot. So, PIG it is.
Scottie’s got just one letter; P, while Justin looks to save himself from elimination on the right wing. As soon as the shot clanks off the back iron, Scottie begins to celebrate. But Justin still has a shot at redemption. Right?
“I feel like I defeated that kid twice,” Scottie explains. “I’ve played PIG numerous times in my life, and I’ve never heard of you getting a second shot after you miss. I went with his rules, but in my world, I won twice. But in his world, he won once. So, I’ll let him win once.”
In Justin’s mind, and by the book for some players, if you miss your first shot on the last letter of PIG, you automatically receive a second shot to redeem yourself. If you make the second, you play on. If you miss, game over.
“There was not a new rule,” Justin says in his defense. “We played PIG, he had me at P-I and then for the last shot on G, you get two shots if you miss it. I don’t know [how] he never heard that. That’s how me and my brothers grew up playing. I can call [them] right now and I’ll ask [them] and [they’ll] tell me the same thing.”
Right on cue, the youngest Pippen whips out his phone and Facetimes his older brother Scotty Pippen Jr., who just finished his second season in the League with the Memphis Grizzlies. There’s no brotherly catchup, no “How are you doin?” It’s straight to business. Justin asks and Scotty Jr. answers: “When we grew up playing, yeah.”
Competitiveness runs in the Pippen family, from the hardwood to Connect 4 and Monopoly. As we prepare to walk with the two through a typical day in their lives, both father and son are giving each other a hard time. The quips aren’t negative, they’re purposeful. As Scottie puts it, the banter builds a competitive edge while instilling confidence. Coaches say it all the time: “Worry when I’m not giving you a hard time.”
Scottie’s got six NBA championships to his name, Scotty Pippen Jr.’s carving out the beginnings of his career in the L after dicing up the SEC at Vanderbilt. Now, it’s Justin’s turn.
Justin was born a year after Scottie completed his last season in the NBA. While he couldn’t watch his dad sink mid-range jumpers and lock up All-Stars from the stands, his curiosity for the game continued to grow. Scottie took notice when a mini Bulls basketball began to follow Justin wherever he went. Then, Justin discovered the highlights and mixtapes that were made around his dad’s 12-season career.
“As a young kid, I think he started to discover who his dad was,” Scottie tells us. “So, he would watch my videos all day. Every time he’d go out to dinner, he’d have his iPad. He was always watching my videos. I kind of felt then that he was a bit of a student of the game and he just kind of latched on and never let loose.”
Fast forward to the present and Justin has gone from an unranked prospect just a year ago to the latest commit for the University of Michigan’s incoming recruiting class. The 6-3, four-star point guard, ranked top-60 in the Class of 2024, is one of the most improved players in the country, leading Sierra Canyon in scoring as a senior while racking up six Division I offers in the same season. He’s a three-level scorer and facilitator. His next step is filling out his frame with added muscle and the necessary strength for the next level.
Much like his father and older brother, Justin is a late bloomer in the realm of hoops. The recognition, prominence and offers were delayed, but the work he and his dad have devoted to his game has been present for years.
“I kind of see Justin’s journey a lot like my journey and I think that was something the last few years I’ve been telling him. Like, look, I was this, I didn’t have this. You’re a lot farther ahead than me [at this age]. You’re going to get it, just keep working. There’s a lot of teams, a lot of opportunities for you. Just keep working, somebody’s going to like what you do,” Scottie says.
With Father’s Day approaching, Justin sought to honor his dad, Scottie, for his support in Justin's basketball journey. Presenting Scottie with a sleek Tissot PR516 Chronograph, Justin expressed his gratitude. As Scottie admired the timepiece, he reflected on his approach to nurturing his sons' love for basketball, offering guidance without imposition. Justin cherished the open door to learn from his father, all while celebrating their shared love for the game and the special bond symbolized by the Tissot watch. Once they became more invested in their growth, the seven-time All-Star leaned on his own leap at Central Arkansas and success in the L to inform the guidance he’d provided his sons. But it wouldn’t be constant or unwelcomed. Scottie left the door open; the nuggets of knowledge from a Hall of Famer are available if you want them. Justin was all ears.
Earlier in the day, the house filled with the smell of banana pancakes, turkey bacon, eggs and freshly squeezed apple juice, as Scottie and Justin prepared to run some errands and then hit the gym for a morning workout and lift. They’ll run through footwork, post moves for mismatches, ball handling, inside and outside reverse lays on top of endless shooting drills. The two have been doing it for years, growing Justin’s confidence and bag in the confines of Proactive Sport Performance.
“He didn't see anything coming out of it, I guess for the first year and a half, up until the last six months,” Scottie recalls, while using the Tissot T-Touch Connect Sport during the workout. “But he stayed with it. And the fact that he believed not only in what I was telling him but that he believed in himself—that’s what I’m most proud of him for, is that he didn’t stray, he didn’t start to question anything about his workout, he just stayed with it,” Scottie says.
That same chip that has rested on the shoulders of Scottie and Scotty has since been passed onto Justin. And just like his older brother, Justin’s faced a whirlwind of noise and expectations as his game and the legend of his last name have grown in notoriety.
The Pippen name carries its own weight and presumptions. But Justin never picked up that mini Bulls ball with the intention of being the next Scottie Pippen. The allure of exploring who Justin Pippen could be was much more enticing.
“I feel like trying to balance having my dad’s last name as well as being Justin Pippen, it was hard at first,” Justin tells SLAM. “At this point in my life, I’m a little older now, I don’t feel the pressure. I think I’m used to it now.”
Between jumpers on the green-shaded asphalt outside their home in Southern California, Scottie Pippen’s quietly reflecting on the past 10-plus years he’s watched Justin find his own path. He’s already sent a number of his kids off to college, but Justin’s departure this summer marks the final Pippen son to step through Scottie’s door and into a world of their own creation.
Soon, the house once filled with the banter of family games, the smell of breakfast and a father and son watching NBA games together will be quieter. But not quite yet. There’s still some playful father-son trash talk left.
“He thinks he’s better than me, still. I don’t know how he thinks that,” Justin says.
That confidence and competitiveness that made Scottie a household name over three decades ago still lives on through Justin today.
