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Scottie Pippen Reflects on Courageous Brother Who Got Paralysis Due to Bullying: “I’m Not the Biggest Success Story in the Pippen Family. He Is.”

Published 12/16/2021, 6:30 PM EST

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The Chicago Bulls are among some of the NBA’s most decorated franchises. Over the years, they have racked up some historic title victories. However, their golden era will always be the 90s, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen rallied a talented Bulls squad towards national supremacy. Pippen, who was the supporting star alongside Jordan, recently revealed tons of details about his career in a memoir.

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It all started with ‘The Last Dance’ series. After widespread discontent with the show, Pippen announced that he will be releasing a memoir that talks about his life. Titled ‘Unguarded’, the book takes a look at his childhood, Bulls career, and other behind-the-scenes incidents.

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In the same memoir, the 56-year-old also speaks about Michael Jordan. Evidently unhappy with Jordan’s treatment of his teammates, Scottie writes that the 14-time All-star was selfish and never regarded his fellow players. In addition, he also revealed some touching moments from his younger days, including some difficult times.

Scottie Pippen recalls his brother’s childhood marred by bullying

According to NBA analyst Charles Barkley, ‘Pip’ only lashed out at Jordan because he wanted to sell his books. Regardless, it is a huge success. Right from claiming that Michael Jordan has ruined basketball to saying he is just as good as him, Pippen has made the headlines off late.

However, his book also contains some dark moments, including his difficult childhood. In one such moment, the 7-time All-star spoke about how his brother was tormented during his younger days and the challenges for his family as a result of the bullying.

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At first, Pippen talks about an incident that happened – he was three when his elder brother faced a violent encounter of bullying at a gym class.

For years, Ronnie was left paralyzed, and the hospital did nothing to help him either. In fact, they only made matters worse. In the strenuous times that followed, the entire family worked towards restoring normalcy, and Ronnie eventually fought through it.

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Pippen wrote, “Now in his mid-sixties, Ronnie still lives in Hamburg on the same plot of land where he grew up. My sister Kim takes care of him. The nightmares are long gone. I see him as often as I can. He has inspired me like no one else. Ronnie had every right to give up, to curse the fate he was handed. He didn’t. He fought hard to build a productive and happy life. I’m not the biggest success story in the
Pippen family. He is.” [Unguarded Chapter-1]

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There is no doubt that Scottie Pippen had to go through numerous challenges to get to where he is. Reiterating how the family had to work for every penny they earned, his impeccable NBA journey was the glorious silver lining. No matter the reason, he will always be remembered by fans of the sport!

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Written by:

Sankalp Harikrishnan

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Sankalp Harikrishnan is an NBA and Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. He aspires to pursue Sports Journalism and has represented his institution in cricket, badminton, soccer and table tennis. Sankalp idolises Roger Federer and Stephen Curry, and has an inherent love for statistics.
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