First published 2021
Scottie Pippen opens his story as the youngest of twelve children in Hamburg, Arkansas, where poverty and family tragedies shaped his early years. College scouts ignored the scrawny teenager, yet he rose to become the fifth pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. Pippen reveals how he sacrificed his own limitless potential to help build the Chicago Bulls into the most dominant basketball team of the past fifty years. The six-time champion and Hall of Famer delivers pointed takes on Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and others who defined that era. He explains how being called Jordan's sidekick made him cringe and details the respect he deserved but never received from Bulls management and media. Pippen shares untold stories from famous games, including his controversial decision to remove himself with 1.8 seconds left in a 1994 playoff game against the Knicks. He describes the daily reality of working with Jordan while serving as the true leader in the locker room. This raw account reveals what it cost Pippen to help create six championship banners.
Genres: 20th-century, american, african-american, autobiography, biography-memoir, basketball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: sacrifice, underdog
Setting: Hamburg, Arkansas, Chicago
Period: 1987, 1994
320 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books