The University of Central Arkansas will retire NBA legend Scottie Pippen’s No. 33 jersey Wednesday night during a halftime ceremony.
UCA’s most recognized alumnus will have his jersey retired in the Farris Center during the UCA-Nicholls State men’s basketball game. Pippen wrote in a column Tuesday on the Chicago Bulls’ official website that Wednesday’s presentation will be emotional for him.
“It’s really where it all started. When I grew up, I was just another kid who wasn’t going to college,” he wrote. “I didn’t have any scholarship offers and there were times I wasn’t even thinking about basketball. I just wanted to be in a positive environment and have a situation where I could lead a good life. Basketball ultimately gave me that.”
Pippen was a two-time NAIA All-American at UCA (1986, 1987) and a six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls. He was part of the original Dream Team that dominated the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, and also played on the Dream Team II in 1996 in Atlanta.
Pippen, a walk-on manager from tiny Hamburg, was “discovered” by former UCA head coach Don Dyer and turned into a two-time All-American and a dominant player in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. Two stunning pre-draft camp performances made him the No. 5 player chosen in the 1987 NBA Draft. He was picked by the Seattle Supersonics, who immediately traded him to the Bulls.
Teaming with the legendary Michael Jordan, Pippen helped the Bulls win three consecutive NBA championships from 1991-93, and three more from 1996-98. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star and was named one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of all time in 1997.
“I’ll always remember my college years fondly. No one knew back then what I was capable of doing or what my future held,” Pippen wrote. ” … I remember the night in December 2005 when the Bulls retired my number and will never ever forget it. But the college years were a different phase of my life and that is why this week will mean so much to me. For me, getting your number retired is the greatest accomplishment.”
“There is no accolade with more significance that you can receive from an organization or school. Whether it was my four years at Central Arkansas or all my seasons with the Bulls in Chicago, it’s a sign of respect for what I have done,” he wrote. “Defensive awards and accolades aside, to have your jersey retired puts you in a position where you’ll be known forever.”
Tonight’s game will kick off at 7 p.m. There will be free Scottie Pippen T-shirts given to the first 1,000 fans. UCA is also participating in the NCAA’s Take a Kid to the Game promotion, with all kids 14-and-under admitted free. The first 300 kids will receive a free NCAA growth poster. There will also be 1,500 free commemorative programs for the game and free prizes and promotions from sponsors such as Smokehouse and Best Buy. Bank of Little Rock Mortgage is the official game sponsor.
