Despite an unusually rainy LA day, Scottie Pippen I couldn’t stop smiling while casually filming Foos earlier this month.
It’s the son of a former NBA superstar. Scotty Jr., I was playing with him just days before the 21-year-old began his professional basketball career. los angeles lakers.
And the grinning dad and NBA Hall of Famer is ready to hand the torch to his son.
“I’m so proud of him,” the 56-year-old told PEOPLE. and he will do the same.”
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But Scotty has made quite a mark on his soon-to-be Lakers.originally drafted by chicago bulls In 1987, the small forward spent 12 seasons with the team, helping the team win six championship titles. A two-time US Olympic gold medalist, he joined the Houston Rockets for a year before ending his career with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2008.
Scotty expanded his family with ex-wife Larsa Pippen, whom he married in 1997, and has four children with Scotty Jr.: Preston, 20, Justin, 17, and Sophia, 13. — he worried about balancing parenting with young children and the life of an NBA star who travels a lot.
“It was tough,” says Scotty. “I didn’t want to do it at first”
And because he was so young, Scotty Jr.’s father’s memories of his playing days are vague.
“He retired when I was about five, so I don’t remember much,” says Scotty Jr. “I remember going to the gym and the Bulls facility and going to games, but most of my memory of his career is watching his highlights on YouTube with his brother. based on.”
Scotty Jr. says it was fun growing up watching his father become a superstar.
“I’m used to people asking for pictures and autographs from him all the time, so I was around it all the time,” Scotty Jr. says. We talked every day. He went to all my games.”
As his son grew up, Scotty watched him take up the sport he loved, playing at the prestigious Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles before attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville for three years before deciding to enter the draft. .
“All my life I tried to teach him the game and make him feel that it was the way to go.” I hope it will be, but it’s about getting him ready, hoping and praying that it happens.”
Pippens’ prayers were answered when Scotty Jr. signed a two-way deal with the Lakers as an undrafted free agent in June.
Scotty Jr. impressed on the team’s G League summer squad, averaging 11.8 points, 4.8 assists and 2.6 steals per game. And as he strives to make the final roster this fall, he’s keen to carry on his family name in the big leagues.
Scotty Jr. says NBA entry “hasn’t made an impact on me yet.” “When I go to the gym, I still feel like I’m in college or high school. I don’t feel like I’m actually here, so I’m soaking in every day and still trying. Feel it.”
In particular, being drafted by the Lakers “means a lot.”
“It’s one of the NBA’s longest-running franchises, and being able to go to my hometown team is basically a dream come true.”
Scotty Jr., who now lives near his father’s California home, is ready to step out of his father’s shadow and carve his own path in the league.
“I want to build a strong presence in the NBA,” Scotty Jr. said. “I’m making my own name, so the biggest thing is that I feel comfortable.”
“He always wanted to be a pro, to be part of the NBA family,” Scotty added proudly, looking at his son with a smile. It’s just beginning.”
