Scottie and Larsa Pippen’s Son Receives Special Shout Out From 3x NBA Champion

With no chance of making the postseason, the Memphis Grizzlies’ current lineup includes a whole host of players trying to find a place in the NBA. This includes Scottie and Larsa Pippen’s son, Scotty Pippen Jr. The 23-year-old, who has been with the Grizzlies for around 3 months, gave a career-best performance against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, on Friday and earned a special shout-out from Lakers great, James Worthy.

Despite missing 13 first-team players for the game, Memphis gave LA a proper scare. And Worthy appreciated them for that in the post-game show on Spectrum SportsNet. He said, “It was ugly and something we didn’t expect… Unfortunately, these guys (the Grizzlies) aren’t scrubs. You know just cause you’ve got 13 guys out, these guys were drafted into the NBA and they’ve just been rubbing their hands, waiting for an opportunity.” The 3x NBA champion then specifically pointed out his former opponent’s son.

“You see Scotty Pippen Jr. getting an opportunity and all these other guys that we don’t know of. Those are tough games to play, but you’ve got to take care of business early. You can’t be turning the ball over like the Lakers did,” Worthy stated on FreeDawkins. Pippen Jr. scored a career-high 28 points against the Lakers along with 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals, and had a +/- of +9 in a defeat. Apart from guard Jordan Goodwin, none of the other 4 starters for Memphis have even played 1 full season combined. But they have managed to make the most of their limited opportunities.

A close game throughout, the Grizzlies managed to take it to the final possession before losing 120-123 against LeBron James & Co. The Lakers came into this contest as the 10th seed in the West but managed to end the night at the 8th spot due to favorable results in the Warriors and Kings games. On the other hand, Memphis remains rooted to the 13th spot, and with injuries to the likes of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and the rest, they will be hoping to bounce back next season.

While these injuries may have curtailed their season, it allowed them to give a chance to lesser-known names. Some of them will surely get a chance to continue with the team heading into the next season and Pippen Jr. will be hoping he’s one of them. But what were his thoughts after the game? “They probably thought we were playing for nothing. But a lot of guys in here are playing for opportunities. So that’s motivation coming to the game.”