Scottie Pippen was a key part of the Chicago Bulls legendary 90’s run.

Selected 5th overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics, he was traded to the Bulls in exchange for Olden Polynice and future draft options.

Pippen turned out to become one of the most consistent players of his era and part of one of the greatest basketball eras and dynasties the NBA will ever see.

The role he played for the greater part of his career made him one of the most versatile players in NBA history.

The premiere episode of The Last Dance also highlighted how grossly Pippen was underpaid, especially for one of the greatest defensive forwards of all-time.

Despite all of Pippen’s accolades – a 7x NBA All-Star, 3x All NBA First Team and 8x NBA-All Defensive First Team – he made only $2.78m in the final year of his contract.

This placed him 122nd highest paid player out of all players in the NBA and 6th highest at the Bulls.

It was a smart piece of business from the Bulls getting Pippen for pennies on the dollar.

As The Last Dance depicted, Pippen played on one of the worst contracts in NBA history for a player; a 5-year, $18 million deal.

Due to some of the finer print that $18 million was spread out over a period of eight years.

Pippen once stated: “Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.”

Long story short to one of the worst contracts in history, Pippen lost all leverage in negotiations as he had rushed into a long term contract.

One can’t blame him, driven by the need for financial security by the fact Pippen is one of 12 siblings and his father and a brother were disabled.

Throughout his contract the salary cap exploded, more than doubling. The popularity of the Bulls and the NBA also skyrocketed.

Pippen would easily be able to negotiate a supermax contract if negotiations took place today.

Even despite being the NBA all-time leader in steals and assists among forwards, Pippen accepted being in the shadows to Michael Jordan.

It seems he was what Robin is to Batman, but truth is he was so much more than that.

Lets look at the 1993-94 season, when Jordan abruptly retired to chase a career in Minor League Baseball.

Pippen carried the Bulls to a 55-27 record averaging 22 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.9 steals per game.

The following season Jordan would return midway through it, though Pippen would become just the second player in history (after Dave Cowens) to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.

Despite not winning any championships during Michael Jordan’s hiatus, Pippen was able to step out of Jordan’s shadow and show the world that he was more than just a sidekick.

Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan were the only members of all six Bulls championship teams.

The two were both superheroes, with Pippen just as much a hero himself as he was a sidekick.

Things could have been so different for him had it not been for Jordan in many ways.

The Bulls’ GM Jerry Krause actually traded Pippen away to the Toronto Raptors for Tracy McGrady during the 1997 draft.

Michael Jordan stepped in and vetoed the trade before it became official and the rest is history.

Pippen was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in a list honoring the 50th anniversary of the NBA in 1996.

He remains an unheralded hero of the Bulls’ dynasty and was able to put winning above all else.