Beneath the shade of the creeping trees and shrubs, NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen makes shot after shot over the net. “Brother, stop doing the same!” his son Justin exclaims as Scottie spins through shots from the imaginary elbows of the court in their backyard in Hidden Hills. From time to time, he will enter the bank, nodding to his son that he still has that amazing shooting touch.
It’s a beautiful afternoon in the middle of May and we’re at the Pippens house to catch a “Day in the Life” movie with Tissot, and Justin and Scottie are going back and forth in their PIG game. Well, at first they were playing HORSE, but as the ball kept finding the net, both father and son quickly realized that they would be there until nightfall if they didn’t pivot. So, PIG of course.
Scottie has just one character; P, while Justin looks to save himself from being sent off on the right wing. As soon as the gun comes off the back door, Scottie starts celebrating. But Justin still has a shot at redemption. OK?
“I feel like I beat that kid twice,” Scottie explained. “I’ve played PIG many times in my life, and I’ve never heard of you getting a second shot after missing. I went with his rules, but in my world, I won twice. But in his world, he won once. So, I’ll let him win once.”
In Justin’s mind, and in the book of other players, if you miss your first shot with the last letter PIG, you automatically get a second shot to redeem yourself. If you do it a second time, you’re kidding. If you miss, it’s game over.
“There was no new law,” said Justin defending himself. “We played PIG, he put me on PI and with the last shot on G, you get two shots if you miss it. I don’t know [how] he never heard that. That’s how my brothers and I grew up. I can make calls [them] now i will ask again [them] again [they’ll] tell me the same.”
Just then, the younger Pippen pulls out his phone and Facetimes his older brother Scotty Pippen Jr., who just finished his second season in the league with the Memphis Grizzlies. No brotherhood, no “How are you?” It’s straight to business. Justin asks and Scotty Jr. he answers: “When we grow up playing, yes.”
Competition runs in the Pippen family, from the hardwood to Connect 4 and Monopoly. As we prepare to walk these two through a typical day in their lives, both father and son give each other a hard time. The quips are not negative, they are on purpose. As Scottie puts it, banter builds a competitive edge while instilling confidence. The coaches always say: “Worry when I don’t give you trouble.”
Scottie got six NBA championships to his name, Scotty Pippen Jr. charting the beginnings of his career at L after making the SEC at Vanderbilt. Now, it’s Justin’s turn.
