The son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen did not get drafted by an NBA team on Thursday, but that doesn’t mean his dream of playing in the league is over. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Scotty Pippen Jr. signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite having a successful college basketball career, Pippen was not expected to be drafted due to his size and limited athleticism, according to the Nashville Tennesseean.
With Pippen signing a two-way contract, he will spend time in the NBA G-League while being eligible to be called up to the NBA. He played college basketball at Vanderbilt and was selected to the All-SEC First Team in 2021 and 2022 after averaging over 20 points per game in both seasons. Before Pippen decided to enter the NBA Draft, Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse appeared on 102.5 The Game in Nashville and was hoping Pippen would return for one more season.
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“He could be really the most decorated player (in program history),” Stackhouse said, per 247 Sports. “He has got a chance to become the all-time leading scorer and do some things that probably not a lot of people thought he could do coming in here. He has developed, and he has earned it. He has worked his way into becoming the player that he is. He’s a great citizen off the court. I think he really enjoys being in school. So we’ll wait and see. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.”
When the 2021-22 season ended for Pippen he talked about his future. “After the season, after we kind of soak up this loss, I’ll probably go back to hash it out in our exit meeting with Coach Stackhouse, hear what he has to say and then tell him how I feel,” Pippen revealed, per 247Sports. “Then from there I’ll probably do my draft training and see. I don’t know yet. I’m still soaking in this loss, and I’ll make those decisions coming soon.”
Pippen’s father, Scottie Pippen, is a Basketball Hall of Famer who won six NBA championships with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. He was also selected to the All-Star team seven times and was named All-Star Game MVP in 1994. Pippen was selected to the All-NBA Team seven times and the All-NBA Defensive Team 10 times.
