Rasheed Wallace Calls Scottie Pippen The Greatest Wing Defender Ever
While playing, Pippen formed himself into an all-time defender
It’s no secret that today’s NBA is filled with high-scoring games and electrifying offense. But there was a time when intense defense was the point of emphasis.
On a recent episode of Rasheed Wallace and TylerIAm’s Sheed & Tyler podcast, Wallace mentioned former small forward Scottie Pippen as the best wing (3-point line) defender he played against.
“I would put Pip [Scottie Pippen] up there, he’s definitely on top of my list.” - Rasheed Wallace
Pippen played 17 years in the NBA, his first 11 with the Chicago Bulls. During his time in Chicago, he was known for being teammates with legend Michael Jordan, forming one of the greatest duos of all time. But Pippen also established himself as one of the greatest defenders of all time.
While playing in a period that featured defensive-strong players such as David Robinson and Dennis Rodman, Pippen took defense to another level. He proved that he could defend all five positions on the court, which allowed him to help his teammates double-team the opponents’ best scorers. Pippen’s wide 7’3” wingspan also helped him chase down and block fastbreak shots.
Although Pippen never won a Defensive Player of the Year award, he did make the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight consecutive times and the All-Defensive Second Team twice. In the 1994-95 season, he led the league in steals with an average of 2.9. Right now, he is the NBA’s seventh all-time leader in steals with 2,307 and the Bulls’ second all-time leader with 1,792, behind Jordan.
Without a doubt, Pippen played a huge part in molding the NBA’s defensive era.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Fansided’s Wiz of Awes. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson