It’s Insane That Scotty Pippen Jr is an NBA Player

Watching West Coast games is a burden. Typically, I just hope there’s a blowout so I can sneak off to bed at halftime—like Friday night when the Phoenix Suns stuffed the Golden State Warriors in a locker and took their lunch money.

But on Thursday night, I decided to stay up til 1am watching the Rockets and Grizzlies UFC fight as Memphis snuck a 120-119 victory thanks to game-winning free throws from Jaren Jackson.

At one point, Scotty Pippen Jr checked in for Memphis.

Maybe I was just delusional from lack of sleep or I paid my weed pen too many visits but I was memorized by SPJ’s 12 minutes on the court.

He scored 4 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and helped with 5 assists.

It’s insane to me that we all casually watch the son of one of the greatest players ever just coming off the bench for the 3rd best team in the Western Conference.

Shouldn’t everyone be talking about this every day?

We’ve spent so much time pretending to care how the Lakers use their second-round picks as if LeBron’s son was taking a roster spot away from a kid the organization could’ve groomed into becoming the next Anthony Davis.

Stephen A. Smith, as recently as this week, spent an entire day discussing LeBron James Jr but somehow, there’s a kid named SCOTTY PIPPEN JR and no one gives a shit.

Think about it for real.

How many 90s basketball players were more famous? Michael Jordan. Shaquille O’Neal. Charles Barkley maybe. And then Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen.

A dude checks in with the same name as one of the greatest ever and he doesn’t even look like Pippen.

Growing up, Scottie Pippen’s nose was the punchline of like, 50% of every joke on BET.

His son has a completely different face, he’s lightskin, he’s a backup point guard who plays totally differently than his father.

Every time I see Scotty Pippen Jr it feels like I’m in year 15 of an NBA 2K franchise mode and all the actual players have retired leaving the league full of computer-generated randoms recycling old names like Anfernee Stoudamire or Carmelo Curry or SCOTTY PIPPEN JR.

Maybe Jr isn’t associated with his father as much because every time Scottie Pippen gets a microphone in front of him, he’s complaining about Michael Jordan not giving him enough respect.

Ultimately, it’s probably a good thing that Pippen jr isn’t constantly being compared to his dad the way Bronny James is.

In Memphis’s 9-man rotation, SPJ can play more of an Alex Caruso-esque role—providing hustle and spark off the bench, ocassionallly starting when Ja Morant takes his weekly night off.

He is a crucial cog in the Grizzlies machine while avoiding becoming a cog in the NBA media-sphere’s machine.

Earlier this season, Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-high 30 points against the Chicago Bulls and told reporters that he and his father speak before and after every game.

Somehow, in a world where anything and everything is exploited into clicks and views and ad revenue, there’s a kid named SCOTTY PIPPEN JR playing for one of the best teams in the NBA and no one gives a single shit.

Honestly, SPJ would get far more attention if he were Malik Beasley or any of the random guys who dated his mom.

I’ve seen more clips of Michael Jordan’s weird ass son openly doing key bumps at brunch with Larsa Pippen than I’ve seen clips of Scottie Pippen’s genuinely talented son helping the Grizzlies secure homecourt advantage in the playoffs.

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