Chicago Bulls: 30 greatest players in franchise history

Michael Jordan may have been the driving force behind the Bulls’ dynasty, but he needed an elite sidekick to reach the promised land. The Bulls acquired that sidekick when Jerry Krause made a trade on draft night in 1987 to get Pippen, the No. 5 pick and a relative unknown out of Central Arkansas.

Pippen had a rather nondescript rookie season, but it wasn’t long before he became the stud running mate Jordan needed. Pippen made his first All-Star Game in 1990, his third season, and he went on to go to six more All-Star Games as a Bull.

Pippen’s versatility drove his success. Not only was he a bona fide No. 2 scoring option, but he was a terrific playmaker and one of the best wing defenders in the NBA. Pippen and Jordan teamed up to hound opposing wings as part of the Bulls’ infamous Doberman Defense, and Pip was a fixture on All-Defensive teams throughout the dynasty era:

While everybody recognized just how good Pippen was as a second banana, he proved he could be a pretty darn good alpha dog himself in 1993-94 when Jordan retired. Pippen notched a career-high 22.0 points per game that season to go along with 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game. He won All-Star Game MVP and finished third in MVP voting as the Bulls won 55 games. He also made his first All-NBA first team that year and went on to make the team the next two years as well. He was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

Pippen left the Bulls in 1998 after the sixth championship, but he returned for a brief stint in 2003-04 before hanging up his sneakers. His No. 33 was soon retired by the Bulls, and he went into the Hall of Fame in 2010. He’s now a special advisor in the team’s front office.