Scottie Pippen’s growth spurt happened between his junior year of high school and his senior year of college. Pippen was a 6’0” point guard as a high school junior but became a 6’7” forward by his senior season in college. That growth spurt was the key reason Pippen became a Chicago Bull and a six-time world champion.
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When Did Scottie Pippen Have His Growth Spurt?
Like David Robinson, Scottie Pippen had a remarkable growth spurt that changed his basketball trajectory and, with it, his entire life.
Pippen’s growth spurt happened between his junior year of high school when he was 6’0” and his senior year of college when he was 6’7”.
The largest part of Scottie Pippen’s growth spurt happened while he was in college at the University of Central Arkansas.
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Scottie Pippen played at 6’1” as a senior in high school.
He played as a freshman at the University of Central Arkansas at 6’3”.
He played at 6’5” as a sophomore in college and was 6’7” by the time he was a senior.
How tall was Scottie Pippen in High School?
Scottie Pippen grew up in Hamburg, Arkansas – a small town with fewer than 3,000 people living in it. Pippen was the youngest of 12 children in his family.
His parents were reasonably, if not incredibly, tall. His mother Ethel was 6’0”, which is pretty tall for a woman. His Dad, Preston, was 6’1”, which is slightly tall for an American man.
All 12 of Preston and Ethel’s children were considered tall, but Scottie ended up the tallest of them all.
By his sophomore year of high school, Pippen had grown to 6’0”. He tried out for and made the varsity basketball team at Hamburg High School.
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Like many sophomore players, Pippen was a reserve who did not see much game action.
Things improved for Scottie in his junior and senior seasons where he saw more playing time for the team.
By his senior season in high school, Pippen had grown to 6’1” tall.
He was a good point guard. He started for the Hamburg varsity team. He led the team to the state tournament and was named all-conference point guard.
But Scottie Pippen was not getting college scholarship offers. He was no elite basketball player by any means. He was a nice, solid high school player.
In an effort to help Pippen out, his high school coach got in touch with Don Dyer. Dyer was the head basketball coach at the University of Central Arkansas – an NAIA school in the state.
Dyer arranged for Pippen to get a grant that allowed him to attend the school on a work study that called for him to be the basketball team manager.
He would get the chance to practice with the team, but he’d have to clean up and take care of equipment as well.
How Good Was Scottie Pippen in College?
As a freshman, Pippen had already grown 2 more inches from high school and now stood at 6’3”. He started practicing with the team and benefitted from the fact that a few players quit the team.
Dyer, the coach, told him he might have a chance to get some real time in a couple years if he hit the weights and got stronger.
Pippen actually played a bit as a freshman and scored 4 points per game.
“A few guys academically fell off, so some scholarships came available, and I go back, ask the coach. I was very persistent, and he finally gave me a scholarship”
Scottie Pippen in the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance”
His sophomore year was when things really changed for Pippen. He grew to 6’5” by his second year of college.
Pippen now had the skills and mindset of a point guard but the height of a wing. He became the best player for Central Arkansas as a sophomore – he led the team in scoring and rebounding.
His junior year was more of the same with Pippen leading the Bears in scoring and rebounding again. He made the NAIA All-American team his junior season.
By the time he was a senior, Scottie Pippen’s growth spurt was complete. He now stood 6’7”.
Pippen dominated as a senior for Central Arkansas, making the All-American team for a second time. He averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game.
How Did Scottie Pippen Get Drafted by the Bulls?
By his senior season when his growth spurt was complete, the NBA noticed Scottie Pippen. Despite not even playing in the NCAA, Pippen became a sought-after player.
The Bulls decided to make a trade to get Pippen. The Seattle SuperSonics had the 5th pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. The Bulls had the 8th pick.
The Bulls offered the 8th pick and forward Olden Polynice in exchange for the 5th pick. The Sonics accepted and the Bulls took Pippen with the 5th pick.
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They went on to take another solid forward with a later pick in the first round: Horace Grant.
Grant would go on to win 3 titles with the Bulls and have a really good, but not quite Hall of Fame, career.
Pippen would achieve a bit more. He won six rings with the Bulls and was a slam-dunk Hall of Famer. He actually made the Hall of Fame twice – once on his own and once as part of the 1992 Dream Team.
He would also make more than $110 million in basketball salaries alone. But he never did learn how to tip. I guess no one is perfect!
Summary : Scottie Pippen’s Growth Spurt
Scottie Pippen’s life was dramatically changed by his growth spurt from 6’0 to 6’7” in the years between his junior year of high school and his senior year of college. Pippen went from a lightly regarded walk-on point guard to the fifth pick in the 1987 NBA Draft because of his growth spurt.
Featured Image Photo Credit – Adapted from: Chicago Bulls Scottie Pippen 1995 http://www.basketballphoto.com/basketballindexz.htm CC BY 3.0.
I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. I write about games, players and seasons from the past.