featured-image

Bulls to unveil bronze bust of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen on April 7 during halftime

March 17, 2011—The Chicago Bulls announced today the team will unveil a bronze bust of Bulls Ambassador and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen during a halftime ceremony at the Bulls’ sold out game vs. the Boston Celtics on Thursday, April 7 at the United Center.

As part of the unveiling, Bulls television play-by-play announcer Neil Funk will emcee the ceremony which will include a video tribute and remarks from Pippen. The bust will be permanently displayed inside the United Center on the 100-Level Concourse by Gate 7.

Scottie Pippen

“Not only is Scottie Pippen one of the greatest players to ever wear a Bulls uniform, but he’s among the best players in the history of the league to play the game,” said Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “He had a tremendous impact in bringing six world championships to Chicago and there is no better way to pay tribute to him than with a permanent bust that honors his inspirational career.”

The bust was crafted by Omri and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany of Highland Park, Ill., who also sculpted the famous Michael Jordan statue which was unveiled in January 1994 in conjunction with Jordan’s No. 23 jersey retirement. Both sculptors will be on hand for the official unveiling.

“Words really can’t express my feelings,” Pippen said. “It’s an unbelievable honor and truly amazing. It’s something you dream of as a kid growing up, but you can never foresee those childhood fantasies becoming reality. You see statues of individuals who have done great things and made their mark on history, but as a basketball player, you never really think about arriving at this point. It’s an amazing honor for the Chicago Bulls to do this for me.”

In July, the Bulls named Pippen as an ambassador for the organization. Most recently, Comcast SportsNet announced that Pippen will join the broadcast team for every Bulls playoff telecast on the network this season.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen was a seven-time NBA All-Star (1990, 1992-97) and a member of six NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls. He was a three-time All-NBA first team honoree and was voted to the NBA All-Defensive first team from 1992-99. Pippen won two Olympic gold medals as a member of the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team” and returned to help lead the USA to gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He also won NBA All-Star MVP honors in 1994.