Net Worth: $20 Million
What Is Scottie Pippen’s Net Worth?
ProShooter / DepositPhotos.comScottie Pippen’s net worth is estimated to be around $20 million. The NBA legend played for 17 seasons and earned $109 million in NBA salary.
Pippen’s most memorable time came when he played nine seasons for the Chicago Bulls. Alongside Michael Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls captured six NBA titles. Pippen was also a seven-time NBA All-Star and won the NBA All-Star Game MVP title in 1994.
While he was often in Michael Jordan’s shadow, Pippen holds an impressive record of his own, being the only NBA layers to win an NBA title and Olympic Gold mean in the same year, twice. Pippen claimed the titles in 1992 and 1996.
Let’s take a look at Scottie Pippen’s net worth by examining his overall NBA salary, peeking under the hood of his endorsement deals, and taking a closer look at the NBA all-star’s other business decisions.
How Much Did Scottie Pippen Make In The NBA?
ChinaImages / Depositphotos.comScottie Pippen made just under $110 million in salary, bonuses, and other payments during his NBA career.
While his fortune quickly rose with the success of the Chicago Bulls, Pippen’s 5th overall draft pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, provided him with a starting salary of just $725,000. Pippen would earn below $1 million for each of his first four seasons.
For the 1991 to 1992 season, Pippen’s salary began to rise, averaging around $3 million for the following three seasons.
From 1998 through 2023, Pippen’s salary ranged from $11 million to $19.7 million, the result of numerous NBA championships and a career filled with stellar play.
Interestingly, a majority of Pippen’s career earnings came thanks to a five-year $67.2 million contract with the Houston Rockets.
Here are the salaries earned by Scottie Pippen for each of his 17 NBA seasons.
| YEAR | TOTAL CASH |
|---|---|
| 1987-88 | $725,000 |
| 1988-89 | $575,000 |
| 1989-90 | $765,000 |
| 1990-91 | $765,000 |
| 1991-92 | $2,770,000 |
| 1992-93 | $3,425,000 |
| 1993-94 | $3,075,000 |
| 1994-95 | $2,225,000 |
| 1995-96 | $2,925,000 |
| 1996-97 | $2,250,000 |
| 1997-98 | $2,775,000 |
| 1998-99 | $11,000,000 |
| 1999-00 | $14,795,642 |
| 2000-01 | $13,750,000 |
| 2001-02 | $18,083,564 |
| 2002-03 | $19,727,524 |
| 2003-04 | $4,917,000 |
| 2004-05 | $5,408,700 |
| Est. Earnings (18 seasons) | $109,957,430 |
Fun Fact: Scottie Pippen Earned More In NBA Salary Than Michael Jordan
While Michael Jordan’s net worth has reached more than $3 billion, it was Scottie Pippen who earned more in actual NBA salary, claiming nearly $110 million to Jordan’s $94 million.
Scottie Pippen Earned Millions From Product Endorsements
In 1996 alone, Scottie Pippen landed or was already in the middle of several lucrative contract deals. At the time, the Chicago Tribune estimated that Pippen may have more than doubled his NBA salary of $2.25 million thanks to his work with several huge brands.
- Frito-Lay Inc.: Pippen appeared on packages of Lay’s, Wavy Lay’s, and Rold Gold snacks, appearing on 600 million bags from May through August. He was the first athlete to appear on the company’s bags of chips and other snacks.
- Ameritech Cellular: Pippen was featured in two Ameritech Cellular TV commercials. There is no information on the exact financial terms of this deal but with a four-year contract, it was likely a deal worth at least a low-seven-figure payday.
- Nike: Pippen was sponsored by Nike for much of his career and the Pippen 1 was a popular shoe option, but his footwear never reached mass adoption. Still, Pippen likely earned millions from his Nike sponsorship which included several commercials and a shoe line.
- Visa USA: Pippen appeared in a Visa USA TV spot that aired initially during the Super Bowl telecast in January 1996 and was set to run through the Summer Olympics in July. There are no specific details regarding the financial terms of this deal.
Those were just the deals Pippen was sponsoring in 1996. The NBA legend also worked with McDonald’s, Coca-Cola (video shown above), Mr. Submarine, Footlocker, Clearpath, RightGuard, and others.
Here’s Pippen’s Visa commercial from Super Bowl XXX.
Here are the most notable endorsement deals Pippen racked up from 1992 through 1999. Several of the deals on this list extended to multiple years or multiple ad spots.
| Brand | Product | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Avia | Performance Apparel | 1992 |
| McDonald’s | Fast Food | 1993 |
| Frito-Lay | Tortilla Chips | 1994 |
| Right Guard | Deodorant | 1995 |
| Visa | Credit Cards | 1996 |
| Nike | Pippen 1 Basketball Shoes | 1997 |
| Ameritech Cellular | Telecommunications | 1998 |
| Coca-Cola | Soda | 1999 |
Scottie Pippen Lost Money To Massive Fraud And Other Bad Decisions
ChinaImages / Depositphotos.comWhile we would expect Scottie Pippen’s net worth to be higher than $20 million given his NBA salary and product endorsements, he was unfortunately the victim of a financial scam.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Pippen invested over $20 million of his wealth with Robert Lunn, a financial advisor recommended by his teammates. A short time later it was revealed that Lunn had not invested any of his money, but instead, defrauded Pippen and other clients.
Pippen took Lunn to court but was only able to recuperate around $400,000 from his initial investment.
On top of the $20 million Pippen lost, he also decided to purchase a private jet that he never took for a test drive. Pippen purchased the jet in 2002 for $4.3 million and quickly learned it required over $1 million in repairs. Pippen once again went to court but was only awarded $2 million for his efforts.
Scotty Pippen’s Real Estate Choices Cost Him Millions
Adding to his financial troubles, Scottie Pippen’s net worth took another hit when he sold his West Hills home for $2.95 million in 2007. Pippen and his wife bought the home in 2000 for $4 million. Pippen also left many of his belongings behind and the new owners sold his items by hosting a yard sale.
Scottie Pippen also purchased a home in Highland Park back in 2004 for $2.23 million and sold the home in 2021 for just $1.8 million. Given the cost of maintenance, realtor fees, and other expenses, it’s likely Pippen lost upwards of $500,000 to $600,000 on the home.
Pippen has essentially lost close to $2 million on just two home purchases.
With more than $25 million lost to bad investments over a very short period, we’re not surprised to see the NBA player’s fortune fall so quickly and by such a large sum of cash. Still, with $20 million in the bank after ending his career almost 25 years ago, Scottie Pippen’s net worth has faired much better than Dennis Rodman’s net worth. His former teammates is estimated to have just $500,000 in assets.
