Scotty Pippen Jr.-Cedar Herald Index

Scotty Maurice Pippen Jr. (born November 10, 2000) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He is the son of former NBA player and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and television personality Larsa Pippen.

Early life and high school career

Pippen was born in Portland, Oregon, while his father was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. From his father's previous relationships, he has four older half siblings: Antron, Sierra, Taylor, and Tyler. Antron and Tyler Pippen are both deceased. His father's relationship with his mother, Larsa Pippen, led to three future younger full siblings: Preston, Justin, and Sophia.

Scotty Pippen Jr.

From kindergarten to tenth grade, Scotty attended Pine Crest School in Florida where he gave his first post game interview as a sophomore. Before his junior year, his family moved to the LA area and he transferred to Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California which had a more competitive basketball team. At Sierra, he played alongside future NBA players such as Marvin Bagley III, Kenyon Martin Jr., and Cassius Stanley. As a senior, he averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game and helped his team win the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division state title. Pippen competed for the Oakland Soldiers on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit. He committed to a future playing college basketball for Vanderbilt over offers from Washington State, San Francisco, Colorado State, UC Santa Barbara, and Hofstra.

Scotty Pippen Jr.

College career

On November 20, 2019, Pippen scored a freshman season-high 21 points in a 90–72 win over Austin Peay. In his regular season finale on March 7, 2020, he scored 21 points for a second time in an 83–74 victory over South Carolina. As a freshman, Pippen averaged 12 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, earning Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman Team honors.

Scotty Pippen Jr.

The impending departures of future NBA players Aaron Nesmith and Saben Lee led to a future expectation of a leading role on the team, which came to fruition in his sophomore season. On December 27, 2020, Pippen scored 30 points in an 87–50 win over Alcorn State. On January 9, 2021, he recorded his first double-double, with 18 points and 12 assists in an 84–81 loss to Mississippi State. On January 27, 2021, Pippen scored 32 points in a 78–71 loss to Florida. As a sophomore, he averaged 20.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. On April 10, 2021, Pippen declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his future college eligibility. He later withdrew from the draft returning to Vanderbilt for his junior season. On December 7, 2021, Pippen made a last second three-pointer to tie the game against Temple. As a junior, he averaged 20.4 points, 4.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. He was named to the First Team All-SEC as a junior. On April 18, 2022, Pippen declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining future college eligibility.

Professional career

Los Angeles / South Bay Lakers (2022–2023) After going unselected in the 2022 NBA draft, Pippen signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 1, 2022, splitting time with their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, subsequently joining Los Angeles for the 2022 NBA Summer League. In his Summer League debut, Pippen scored fourteen points, six rebounds, three assists, and a block in a 100–66 win over the Miami Heat. He was named to the G League's inaugural Next Up Game for the 2022–23 season.

On September 7, 2023, Pippen re-signed with the Lakers on an Exhibit 10 contract, but was waived on October 16.