Scottie Pippen sure isn’t shy about sharing his opinion. Earlier this year he said he was the first Lebron James before there ever was a Lebron James. It makes sense to a certain degree, but not really. Two versatile players but with different styles and in different era. Pippen went on to compare his career to Jimmy Butler’s, which is a huge compliment to Butler.
“Yeah, I did because I kind of see Jimmy’s career a lot like mine. Everybody doubted him and he’s sort of been put behind the eight ball to some degree and … everything that he’s earned in this league, he’s had to work for it. I think that’s been great for him because he’s been what the team has needed the last couple of seasons. A guy that’s out there working hard and just don’t really give a heck. That’s totally helped his development as a player and as an individual.” – Scottie Pippen on Jimmy Butler
The 6’8 Hall of Famer was an unknown character in the draft. He was lucky enough to be drafted at the fifth overall pick, but nobody could ever predict the career he would have with the Chicago Bulls. Jimmy Butler is no Hall of Famer, he’s barely an Allstar, but he sure had a rough path to the NBA as he was overlooked by 29 other teams in the 2011 draft.
Scottie Pippen gave Jimmy Butler one of the biggest compliments possible coming from a six-time NBA champion. It’s up to Jimmy Butler to live up to the praise and the money he’s gathering once the spotlight is on him.
