Pippen Awards

After a fantastic 10 episodes, The Last Dance wrapped up a few weeks ago. Centered around the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 season, the ESPN documentary made older generations recall the glory days of an unforgettable team, and educated younger folks on one of the greatest athletes of all time and reminded basketball junkies of all ages how long the suits were in the 90s. With the NBA season suspended, it sparked most of the current debates and conversations in the hoops world. While Michael Jordan was obviously the key to the 6 championship banners at United Center, Scottie Pippen was the second fiddle that Phil Jackson and Co. needed to bring glory to the Windy City. Guys like Scottie aren’t beloved the way their team’s leading guy is, but most championship teams are great because they have a stacked roster or starting lineup, not just a phenomenal star. However, these players should be appreciated, so this is the Pippen Awards, giving some love to the sidekicks that made their heroes. We’ll give bronze, silver, and gold medals to the best players not to get star billing in baseball, football, and basketball. 

Note: A team can have multiple stars, neither of whom counts as a Pippen because they’re a “dynamic duo,” not a “hero and sidekick.”

EX: Steph Curry and Kevin Durant were both Jordans on the Warriors.

Baseball

3. Willie McCovey (San Francisco Giants)

Playing second fiddle to one of the greatest to ever play the game in Willie Mays, McCovey was a great player in his own right. While McCovey did come to overtake Mays when the latter Willie was out of his prime, it was Mays who was the Danny Ocean when the Giants came to town. During San Francisco’s heyday, McCovey contributed a ton, but Mays was just a better ball player. McCovey enjoyed more success with Willie Mays, but as the Jordan/Pippen relationship goes, Mays overshadowed him, so McCovey will always be underrated. However, he still got to have his moments as a star, enjoying the 1969 season and winning the MVP.

2. Roger Maris(New York Yankees)

Another star in the 1962 World Series, Maris set one of the greatest records in all of baseball, an accolade only taken down by superhuman steroid era players like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. Despite holding one of the most prestigious honors in America’s Pastime, he was overshadowed by national hero Mickey Mantle. During their home run chase, most fans across the nation were rooting for Mantle, one of the most popular players the game has seen, over Maris, a rather reserved superstar. The M&M Boys were both greats, and Mantle wanted to bathe in his celebrity status, while Maris’ quieter persona meant he stayed dry from the unsteady waters of fame. Unfortunately, as a result, Maris hasn’t completely gotten the credit he deserved, and is not in the Hall of Fame despite a few of the best seasons of baseball ever played.

1.Lou Gehrig (New York Yankees)

The Murderer’s Row Yankee teams are some of the greatest of all time, where The Great Bambino killed challengers as if he was Ted Bundy and Gehrig slayed opponents like Jack the Ripper. While Babe Ruth was undoubtedly the best player on many of their World Series titles, Gehrig played no small role. The Iron Horse was instrumental in many of their ‘20s titles, but he was just Ruth’s sidekick, despite being a fantastic player in his own right. The 1930s were when Gehrig hit his prime and showed America he was one of the greats with or without Ruth. With his Triple Crown, pair of MVP awards, and an AL single season RBI record which stands today, Gehrig takes first prize at baseball’s Pippen Awards because he’s one of the most gifted players to step onto a diamond, but chose not to use his talent not to pad his stats, but instead to improve the Sultan of Swat and the rest of the Bronx Bombers with his laid back attitude, resilience, and hardworking nature. Him hitting fourth and getting Ruth better pitches to hit didn’t hurt either. 

Football

3. John Taylor (San Francisco 49ers)

Some call Jerry Rice the greatest football player of all time. Most call him the best receiver to catch a pigskin. Unfortunately, a fact many don’t know is that it was John Taylor who helped Rice get to his legend status. A lot of fans know Taylor from his game winning catch in Super Bowl XXII, but he’s far from a one hit wonder. While Steve Young, Joe Montana, and Jerry Rice were the heroes, it was Taylor behind the scenes who led the way behind the scenes for Niner teams to more than one “Eye of the Tiger” or “Your Love.” Rice only got the opportunities he did because of John Taylor, whose stats and speed could make any defense uncomfortable, take an eye off Rice, and suddenly #80 is in the end zone. Taylor is one of the only Pippen’s to get a lot of individual glory, with multiple big plays in the Super Bowl, back-to-back Pro Bowl nods, and a brilliant single game performance, with 2 90+ yard touchdowns.

2. Marvin Harrison (Indianapolis Colts)

Peyton Manning was an incredible quarterback. However, without a great man on the receiving end like Harrison, life would be more difficult for one of the reigning champions of “The Match.” Harrison was definitely respected as one of the best pass catchers in the league by fans, but he still took a backseat in the sidekick role. With Manning as a quarterback, the most appreciated position on the field, Harrison may have been forced to play Dick Grayson, but he filled the role perfectly nevertheless, going down in the record books. If you look deeper, Harrison had his own sidekick in fellow receiver Reggie Wayne, and we could go down this rabbit hole for days, like those Russian stacking dolls or Benoit Blanc’s donut hole theory from Knives Out.

1.Carl Banks (New York Giants)

To me and many other football fanatics, Lawrence Taylor is hands-down the greatest defender of all time. His explosive combination of strength and speed just couldn’t be stopped. However, LT still had to have some support on the Giants’ front seven. He got that and then some with Carl Banks. 1986, when the Big Blue Wrecking Crew was at its best, was the year when Banks broke out, with 6.5 sacks and followed that up with 9 the next year. If you’re not impressed with these numbers, I can’t blame you, but think about the fact that teams couldn’t afford to put lots of linemen on Taylor because you had Carl Banks on the other side of the line. When you relieve the greatness of Lawrence Taylor, remember he succeeded because he had the sidekick of sidekicks in Banks, who made the other team look at him, and once Lawrence Taylor’s man wasn’t paying attention to him, it was over for the opposing quarterback.

Basketball

3. Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)

Call me biased as a Bay Area fan for giving podium spots in all three sports to athletes from NorCal teams, but you can’t deny Draymond’s prowess as a sidekick. While some may put Klay Thompson in this role, the Splash Brother was a bit of an on and off scorer who despite being instrumental to a dynasty, couldn’t reliably produce on both ends of the court like Green. The Michigan State product and aggressor of testicles could help you out on both sides of the floor without needing the ball. He’s a perfect Pippen, grabbing rebounds, dishing assists, and clamping on defense without a need for the rock, as he could just let his brilliant basketball mind do a lot of the work for his body. We see the Dubs’ reliance on Green in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, where he is out due to suspension and Golden State struggles without him, setting into motion their falling apart at the end of the series.

2. Kevin McHale (Boston Celtics)

McHale was a classic sidekick to the more electric Larry Bird. Bird could capture the attention of the least attentive of fans. McHale couldn’t ignite a crowd with the spectacle of Larry Legend, but he was a key piece for early 1980s C’s teams and instrumental for great Boston squads like the storied ‘85-86 crew. The Celtics had a number of great players on those teams including Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Robert Parish, and Bill Walton, but each were just filling a needed role. McHale stood out in that he could do it all, rebounding, scoring, and defense in a way any kind of fan could appreciate, be it a film addict, a stat whiz, or “That Guy Who Watches 3 Games A Year And Thinks He’s an Expert” while still letting the more skilled Bird take the reins of one of the strongest, fastest horses in hoops.

1.Scottie Pippen (Chicago Bulls)

To sum it up, Scottie Pippen is a perfect Pippen. While that may not be a fair comparison considering the namesake of the list, Pippen should have the sports equivalent of an EGOT for his performance as a sidekick to the GOAT. There is no better way to close out the list than with the (insert clever acronym for best sidekick). As we saw in the 1997-98 season, the team crumbled without Scottie. Pippen had Kevin Durant/Kawhi Leonard skill, but was content winning and playing second fiddle. Pippen takes the gold medal and gets his name put on the title because of his one of a kind combination of incredible god-given talent and a unique team-first attitude