Net Worth Ranker
What Is Scottie Pippen’s Net Worth?
Scottie Pippen, a celebrated retired American professional basketball player, has accumulated a net worth of $20 million. This figure primarily stems from his illustrious 17-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), bolstered by endorsement deals.
Career Earnings and Contract Details
Throughout his NBA career, Scottie Pippen earned $109 million in salary alone. One of the most talked-about contracts of his career was the 7-year, $18 million extension he signed before the 1991 season with the Chicago Bulls. This translated to an annual salary of approximately $2.6 million, a figure significantly lower than that of his teammate Michael Jordan, who earned over $30 million per year during the Bulls’ peak years. Pippen later expressed frustration over this contract, feeling it undervalued his contributions to the team.
Interestingly, Pippen’s total NBA salary of $109 million exceeded Michael Jordan’s $94 million. This was largely due to a lucrative five-year, $67.2 million contract he signed with the Houston Rockets prior to the 1998-1999 season. He supplemented his earnings with an additional $10 million from his return to the Chicago Bulls for his final two seasons.
Endorsement Deals and Partnerships
Beyond his NBA salary, Scottie Pippen garnered substantial income from various endorsement deals. Initially, he sported Avia sneakers, but he later joined Nike, releasing several signature shoes, most notably the 1997 Pippen 1. In addition to Nike, Pippen had endorsement deals with companies such as Ameritech Cellular TV, Frito-Lay, Visa, McDonald’s, Right Guard, and Coca-Cola.
Early Life and Background
Scotty Maurice Pippen was born on September 25, 1965, in Hamburg, Arkansas. He was the youngest of Ethel and Preston Pippen’s 12 children. Growing up in a large family, Pippen faced financial challenges. His father, who worked in a paper mill, suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. Pippen’s basketball journey began at Hamburg High School, where he led the team to the state playoffs and earned all-conference honors. He initially attended the University of Central Arkansas as a walk-on, standing at 6’1″. A growth spurt later brought him to 6’8″. During his college career, he averaged 23.6 points, 10 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, with a field goal shooting percentage of nearly 60%.
NBA Career Highlights
Scottie Pippen’s NBA career commenced on November 7, 1987, when the Chicago Bulls faced the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored 10 points, recorded two steals, provided four assists, and grabbed one rebound in 23 minutes of play. By the 1988 NBA Playoffs, Pippen had secured the starting small forward position, playing a key role in the Bulls’ journey to the conference semifinals. He earned his first NBA All-Star selection in 1990. During the 1990-91 season, Pippen became a dominant defensive player and a significant scoring threat. On November 23, he recorded his first triple-double, with 13 points, 12 assists, and 13 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers. He received NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors for his performance during the 1990-91 season. The Bulls went on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals, marking the beginning of their first three-peat, with subsequent championships in 1992 and 1993. Pippen continued to play a pivotal role in the Bulls’ second three-peat, securing NBA championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998.
In the lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season, Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets after 11 seasons with the Chicago Bulls. From 1998 to 2003, he played for the Portland Trail Blazers. After the 2002-03 season, Pippen returned to the Chicago Bulls, signing a two-year, $10 million contract on July 20, 2003. On October 5, 2004, Pippen announced his retirement. In January 2008, at the age of 42, Pippen briefly returned to professional basketball, playing two games for Finnish team Torpan Pojat (ToPo) and Swedish team Sundsvall. On July 15, 2010, Pippen rejoined the Bulls as a team ambassador. In 2012, he was appointed senior advisor to Michael Reinsdorf, the Bulls’ president and COO.
Olympic Achievements
Scottie Pippen was a member of the original “Dream Team” for the United States men’s Olympic basketball team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. The team won the gold medal, and Pippen and Michael Jordan became the first players to win both an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year. He repeated this feat in 1996.
Personal Life and Relationships
Pippen has been married twice. He married Karen McCollum in 1988, and they had a son named Antron in 1987. They divorced in 1990. In 1997, he married Larsa Younan, also known as Larsa Pippen, a star of “The Real Housewives of Miami.” Together, they had four children: Scotty Jr. (born in 2000), Preston (born in 2002), Justin (born in 2005), and Sophia (born in 2008). The couple divorced in 2021. Pippen also has a daughter, Sierra Pippen (born in 1995), with former fiancée Yvette De Leon, and a daughter, Taylor Pippen (born in 1994), with former girlfriend and model Sonya Roby. Taylor’s twin sister, Tyler, died nine days after birth. His son, Scotty Jr., plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, and his daughter, Sophia, appeared in the first season of “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.”
Financial Issues and Legal Disputes
Over the years, there have been reports of Scottie Pippen facing financial difficulties post-retirement. However, these claims are often exaggerated. One significant financial setback involved a former financial advisor named Robert Lunn. In 2016, Pippen sued Lunn, alleging that the advisor mismanaged $20 million of his money. Lunn reportedly invested $7 million with a real estate developer who declared bankruptcy. Lunn also advised Pippen to purchase a Gulfstream private jet for $4 million, which required an additional $1 million in repairs. In March 2016, Lunn was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud, including forging Pippen’s signature on a $1.4 million loan.
Real Estate Investments
In 2004, Scottie and Larsa Pippen purchased a 10,000-square-foot home on 2.6 acres in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, for $2.225 million. The property, built in 2003, features six bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, a home movie theater, a sauna, a game room, a brick wine cellar, and an indoor basketball court with Pippen’s Chicago Bulls jersey emblazoned on the floor. Pippen listed the home for sale in 2016 for $3.1 million and eventually sold it for just under $2 million in late 2021.
Pippen also owned a mansion in Harbor Beach, Fort Lauderdale, which he sold in September 2021 for $10.54 million. He initially listed the house for $16 million in 2010.
