Top 75 Scottie Pippen Quotes

There’s nothing like the camaraderie of being around the other players.

Defense is something I take a lot of pride in.

If you can prove that you’re in that elite class on a consistent basis, it speaks volumes about a player’s longevity. It also says that as a player, you were steady, stable, and great and that you deserve to be recognized.

I was way behind physically in high school. They had weight bars that were about forty-five pounds. I couldn’t handle them. Couldn’t even put the weights on. It was embarrassing. So I always figured out ways to avoid lifting when I was young.

When the game is over, it’s over. We leave everything on the court.

Things for me really started to click right after my third year in the league. I sort of figured out that there were a few things that I needed to do if I wanted to get better – I needed to gain some more weight and add some strength.

It was truly an enjoyable moment in my life that I will never forget having the opportunity to play for two gold medals. But I think nothing sticks out more than winning a championship in 1991 for me.

I’m a family man, and I couldn’t be happier. My wife and I have been blessed with an incredible family, and my kids are my life.

Being the youngest of twelve kids and having your underwear handed down teaches you how to share.

It doesn’t really count as a great year if the team is not doing well.

I wouldn’t give Charles Barkley an apology at gunpoint. He can never expect an apology from me… If anything, he owes me an apology for coming to play with his sorry, fat butt.

When I was four or five, I had an older brother who got paralyzed from the neck down in junior high school. Some kid did a wrestling fall on him and hit his spine. We had to take care of him. I went from being the baby to not really being the baby anymore.

When you speak of the Pat Rileys, the Phil Jacksons, you have to speak of Don Nelson and the success that he has had in the game.

I want to be a role-model player, someone respected and looked up to.

It’s not common for your best player to also be your most unselfish player.

I want to thank the NBA and U.S.A. Basketball. Words can’t describe my feeling. I was a small town kid from Hamburg, Arkansas, and you provided me a platform to live out my passion, the game of basketball, on the world’s grandest stage.

As a young player, I always thought I was doing everything I could. But the longer you play, the more you learn, and the better you’re prepared for what this game throws at you.

I’m never going to leave my family hanging out to dry.

If you’re not on a team that’s winning, it takes a lot out of you as a player.

I think I learned a lot from a lot of experiences that I dealt with over my career.

I don’t really have any regrets.

Defensive awards and accolades aside, to have your jersey retired puts you in a position where you’ll be known forever.

Don’t disrespect me, lie about it, and then come smile in my face and act like nothing’s wrong.

Everyone likes to strike while the iron is hot. That’s a philosophy I’ve always liked.

There are a lot of people from my Central Arkansas days that I owe a lot of thanks to for how they helped me over the years.

I love playing in Chicago, and the fans have been great to me.

I feel like I’m a guy who gets other guys shots.

Basketball is such an escape from a lot of things.

Defense was one thing I was really able to work at and get better.

When you suffer a few losses in the playoffs, it forces you back into the gym early on.

Your job, what you do every day, I think it takes a high priority over anything. That was something I dedicated myself to throughout my career.

I had watched Magic my whole career, even before my career, and so I knew the style of player that he was, and I knew what I had to do to prohibit him from being as effective on the basketball court as he had been throughout his career.

I will always be a part of the game.

Chicago’s where I started my career. I’ve had a lot of success playing here.

I worked at a place called Virco. They build school desks.

The All-Star Game was one of my top highlights as a player. In my eye, it gave me a good idea of where I ranked among my peers. That was always my benchmark to say that I am still in the upper echelon of players.

I’ll miss the competitive side and the camaraderie of being around the players and competing each and every day.

As a player, you experience so many different moments, but you never truly sit back and reflect on them. You enjoy them, but with the championships, we were so busy celebrating with everyone that we didn’t really realize what we had accomplished as individuals and as a team.

Everything was a lesson learned and a step forward for me.

I went to a small school, so I had to be a jack of all trades and master a few.

To be named as one of the finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 on Friday was a special moment for me. As a player, it’s something that you dream about. It’s an honor that you have to earn based on your career and the respect from your peers around you.

You just go out and try to always play at your best.

Some guys get into the NBA, get the big money, and are satisfied with themselves.

It’s always been a passion of mine to come out and share some of my knowledge about basketball and the experiences I’ve had with the younger generation.

Pau Gasol is one of the best big men in the game.

For me, getting your number retired is the greatest accomplishment. There is no accolade with more significance that you can receive from an organization or school. Whether it was my four years at Central Arkansas or all my seasons with the Bulls in Chicago, it’s a sign of respect for what I have done.

We grew up in a small house with four bedrooms. I shared a bedroom with three brothers. But I enjoy the way that I was brought up. It kept me hungry. It kept me humble.

I think when you come from a small college like I did, then you have to use every opportunity available to you.

I thought the lanes opened up when Michael Jordan used to drive. I used to be like, ‘Wow.’

Basketball is a lifelong game. You continue to learn from the game day in and day out, and all along the way, you get better.

Statistics are one thing. But if you’re not putting up the numbers as far as winning, they’re not going to consider you for things like the MVP.

I never wanted to be Michael Jordan, although I would like to trade bank accounts.

I make a lot of money, but I need to be treated right.

As a young player, achieving All-Star status isn’t as easy as you might think.

When I say I played with the greatest, let’s not forget I also played for the greatest coach of all time.

When I look at my career, I was really about defending.

No guy on the basketball court is a threat to score with LeBron James out there. Not only will LeBron dominate from the offensive end as well, but he’s also doing it on the defensive end, which really makes him the complete package.

You’ve got to have a commitment to your craft.

I knew I was a player that could break guys down and create for my teammates, and that is how I looked at it.

When you endure an 82-game season, you have a great opportunity to build a lot of confidence and cohesiveness with your teammates and coaches.

It’s an honor to have kids. It’s a responsibility.

There are no guarantees in the league, and the challenges will always be there.

When I was growing up, I never thought I would play in the NBA.

I’ve come a long way from my first commercials.

Fatherhood is great.

I’ve played basketball all of my life, and I’ve had things happen on the court that you eventually have to move on from. It’s part of some of the obstacles that you meet in trying to reach your pinnacle.

I’m proud to be considered a member of the Nike family.

To be in a position where an organization like the Bulls creates a bust of you that will permanently be displayed in a building like the United Center says it all. It’s hard to put into words because it is such an honor. It’s great to know that something like that will be around forever.

When it’s late in a game and things are tough and you need a basket, someone has to step up. That player has to have the ability to create opportunities and draw fouls.

I always help take care of my family.

I wasn’t really that interested in playing. I had gone through some hard times not playing in high school, but my coach had it in his mind that basketball was the way I would get an education.

Sometimes as a player, you’re not there yet. The doctor can tell you the headache is gone, but he don’t totally know that it is gone unless he can get in your head.

When I got the call to guard Magic, I knew that I could cause him a lot of problems.

It’s definitely tough to get up and walk away from something you have been a part of for so long. But it’s part of life.