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18. Scottie Pippen
photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images/NBA via Wallpaper hiTo label Scottie Pippen a secondary star would be a mistake. To put his sneaker game in the same stature would also be a slight. Over the course of his career, the Silent Assassin would prove the most war-ready of any of the Bulls MJ ran with, coming through in the clutch on both sides of the ball. Eight NBA All-Defensive First Team nods, seven NBA All-Star selections, six rings and two gold medals have Pip’s resume residing in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Sure, Pip didn’t win any rings without MJ. No, MJ didn’t win any without Pip. Their two names and games are forever inseparable, but Nike knew they had two very separate stories to tell and sell in the Windy City.
After arriving on the scene in Avia, the Swoosh would soon scoop up Scottie and make him the face of the Flight Camp. As his star and stature would grow, Pip would be picked to spearhead the Nike Air Uptempo campaign. Over the course of his first nine seasons, #33 would make the likes of the Nike Air Up ’94, Nike Air Maestro II, Nike Air Max Uptempo and Nike Air More Uptempo his own and affectionately dubbed “The Pippens” by fans. It wasn’t until 1997 that Nike would give him a sneaker of his own namesake. The Nike Air Pippen series would span five models, with a sixth one on the way, pushing the star power of the swingman over the label of simply a wingman. Sleek, smooth and understated, the line would represent Pip’s persona and game in the likes of nubuck, tumbled leather and Morph Skin.
Just as Pippen would be known for supporting Mike on the court, he would support his sneaker line just the same, lacing the likes of the Air Jordan 10 and Air Jordan 12 on notable occasions. Still, it was his own game and ability to propel Nike Basketball’s best designs to the forefront that make Pip a Kicks On Court legend. From the unbranded Nike Air Flight Huarache to the over-branded Nike Air More Uptempo, it didn’t matter how left or loud the sneaker was – if Pip wore it, it mattered.
-Ian Stonebrook
