Former Bulls star Scottie Pippen will have his No. 33 jersey retired Wednesday night in a ceremony at Central Arkansas, the NAIA school where he starred before being the fourth overall pick in the 1987 draft.
In advance of the ceremony, David McCollom of the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Ark., shared some stories about Pippen from those who knew him during his college days.
One story was about the night in 2005 when the Bulls retired Pippen’s number.
Central Arkansas athletic director Arch Jones and his family were among the guests at Pippen’s home that night and rode with him to the United Center for the event. Pippen was running late and hit a major traffic jam.
According to McCollom, Jones said Pippen told him, “Coach J, I’m gonna have to do this like I did when I was a player and hope they don’t stop me.” He then swerved onto the shoulder of the interstate and floored it.
“We basically rode the shoulder to the United Center,” Jones said in an interview afterward. “Scottie was weaving in and out of traffic. When people spotted him, they would slow down and let him in. They would honk their horns and wave. They’d let him go through. I think we got to the United Center 10 minutes early. If it were me, I’d been in jail.”
Photo: Scottie Pippen during a 2005 news conference for the Bulls retiring his No. 33 jersey. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune)
Read the original article from Tribune News Services.