NBA Legend Scottie Pippen Sees a Lot of Himself in This OKC Star

Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen may have a son in the NBA, but he can also see himself quite clearly in another young player—one he is not related to.

Pippen, best known for playing Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman during the Chicago Bulls' dynasty, appreciates the similarities between himself and Jalen Williams, the Oklahoma City Thunder forward often playing sidekick to 2024-25 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

"He is pretty special," Pippen told ESPN's Tim MacMahon for a story published Thursday morning. "I'm enjoying watching him. I see a lot of me in him for sure. I see a guy rising to be one of the top players in this league. He's definitely a player that is capable of being able to lead that franchise to multiple championships—him and Shai, of course."

But Pippen is also hesitant to limit Williams by labeling the 24-year-old star as a mini-me, noting the Santa Clara product could just as easily surpass Pippen's accomplishments with a glowing career resume of his own.

"I don't even want to put a cap on him to say that he's going to be me," Pippen continued. "I see him being greater, if I can say that. Just because of where the game is today. They have offensive freedom. We didn't have that. We mostly ran out of a system. These guys have the freedom to shoot 3-balls and things of that nature. Players that are playing in today's game have a chance to be better than players in the past because of the ability to shoot the ball.

"If this kid continues to shoot the 3-ball the way that he shoots it, I'm not going to sit here and argue with nobody and say that you can compare us. Because you can't. He wins."

For his part, Williams seems to be comfortable with and excited by the comparison.

"I feel like a new-age Scottie maybe," the forward told ESPN. "I'm not mad at that one at all. I like that. And then obviously Shai gets a little Jordan comparison, so that's cool. It's very cool. Any time you compared to somebody like that, you're doing something right."

Aside from playing second fiddle to a bigger star, Williams, similar to Pippen, was only lightly recruited in high school before attending a smaller, less flashy program for college. When it came time for the draft, his stock shot up significantly after a great performance at the combine. Pippen was likewise ignored initially, only to similarly outperform any of those expectations once he arrived in the league.

On Thursday, Williams will get yet another chance to tighten the gap between himself and the Hall of Famer should the Thunder clinch the title in Game 6 of their series vs. the Indiana Pacers, making Williams—just like Pippen—a forever NBA champion.

Tip-off is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET.