Scottie Pippen Bought Gun For Protection After Michael Jordan’s Dad Was Killed And Was Arrested For Unlawful Use Of Weapon: ‘I Was Living In A City Where People Were Gunned Down Every Day’

NBA legend Scottie Pippen bought a gun after Michael Jordan‘s dad was murdered in 1993. 

Pippen was arrested in January 1994 for unlawful use of a weapon. He wrote about the incident in his book, “Unguarded.”

“A police officer had already searched my car, a black four-door 1994 Range Rover,” Pippen wrote. “The officer said the car was illegally parked and would have to be towed. However, since it was in locked position and couldn’t be moved, he asked for the key. I gave it to him. He claimed to have found a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun in plain view between the front seat and console. I was arrested and taken to the district police station, where I was charged with a misdemeanor: unlawful use of a weapon. Because I was registered to own a gun didn’t mean I wasn’t licensed to carry one. The maximum penalty was one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. After I posted a $100 cash bond, they let me go.

“The arrest was a big story in Chicago for a few days. Even the mayor, Richard Daley, weighed in. Everyone got way too carried away. First of all, I purchased the gun for my protection. As a public figure, I was an obvious target. Keep in mind it had been less than six months since Michael’s father was murdered, and I was living in a city where people were gunned down every day.

“Second, the weapon wasn’t where the officer said it was. I kept it hidden inside the console, for obvious reasons. The charge was dropped about a month later when a judge ruled the police had no legal jurisdiction to search my car. The judge restored my faith in the system. To a point. More than anything else, the episode served as another reminder of the racism that was rampant in Chicago and still is. I would never have been treated that way — they put me in handcuffs, for God’s sake — if I were white. The officer uttered a racial slur after I walked out of the restaurant. I didn’t say anything. What good would that have done? It’s not as if I hadn’t heard the same slur before. I came from the South. I heard it all the time.”

Jordan retired from the NBA in 1993 following the death of his father. Pippen averaged 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 1993-94. He finished third in MVP voting behind Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. 

The Chicago Bulls went 55-27 in 1993-94 without Jordan. Pippen won the 1994 All-Star Game MVP. The NBA icon finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds for the East while shooting 9-of-15 from the field, 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. 

One of the greatest players in NBA history, Pippen finished his career with averages of 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.8 blocks in 1,118 games with the Bulls, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers.

A Hall of Famer, Pippen made seven All-Star teams, seven All-NBA teams and 10 All-Defensive teams and won six championships.