scottie
Scottie Pippen Tribute Section
Photos: Pippen Jersey Retirement Ceremony
Interview: Greatest Teammate Gets His Due
Pippen's Top 10 Greatest Moments
Pippen Meets the Media (Dec. 5, 2005)
Former Bulls great and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen had his No. 33 jersey retired at the United Center on Friday, Dec. 9, 2005 during halftime of the Bulls’ game against the L.A. Lakers.
"You've given me everything I could ever ask for," Pippen told the fans at the United Center. "I'll never forget what you have done for me, and what I was able to do for you."
Among those who participated in the retirement ceremony were Michael Jordan and current Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson.
Pippen’s college and high school coach also attended among a list of several other notables that included Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc and Dennis Rodman.
"When we went into battle, I knew I had someone to watch my back," Michael Jordan said. "Scottie Pippen, he's my guy. I love him like a brother. He pushed me to be the best basketball player every day in practice. And I pushed him to be the best Scottie Pippen he could be."
Pippen spent 17 seasons in the NBA, most notably his 12 with the Bulls, and helped Chicago claim its six World Championships (1991-93 and 1996-98).
"For the coaches that worked with Scottie, he was the best," recalled coach Phil Jackson. "He worked hard at this game, had an aptitude for this game."
Among his many accolades, he was chosen one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All-Time in 1996 and was a seven-time All-Star, including the game’s MVP in 1994.
Bulls general manager John Paxson, a former teammate of Pippen's, called it a "wonderful, well-deserved honor. … You were an unselfish star and an unselfish teammate."
"It was all for the good, and I learned a lot along the way,'' Pippen added. "You made me understand what it really means to love Chicago.''