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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Regular Session, 2025 SR 35 3
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By: Senators M. Johnson, Gilmore 5
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SENATE RESOLUTION 8
TO RECOGNIZE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND 9
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION STAR SCOTTIE PIPPEN 10
FOR HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AND FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO HIS 11
COMMUNITY, THE STATE OF ARKANSAS, THE NATION, AND THE 12
WORLD. 13
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Subtitle 16
TO RECOGNIZE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL 17
ARKANSAS AND NATIONAL BASKETBALL 18
ASSOCIATION STAR SCOTTIE PIPPEN FOR HIS 19
ACHIEVEMENTS AND FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS 20
TO HIS COMMUNITY, THE STATE OF ARKANSAS, 21
THE NATION, AND THE WORLD. 22
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen is one of the most talented and successful 24
athletes from the State of Arkansas, and one of the most talented and 25
successful athletes ever to play the game of basketball; and 26
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen was born on September 25, 1965, in Hamburg, 28
Arkansas, to Preston and Ethel Pippen, and he was the youngest of their 29
twelve (12) children; and 30
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen played baseball, football, and basketball as a 32
child, but he most wanted to imitate basketball stars such as Julius "Dr. J" 33
Erving despite the fact that Pippen was only six feet, one inch (6'1") tall 34
and one hundred fifty pounds (150 lbs.) as a high school senior; and 35
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen led Hamburg High School to the state basketball 1
playoffs and was named to the all -conference team, but no colleges recruited 2
him or offered him a basketball scholarship at that time, yet he was offered 3
a position with the basketball team at the University of Central Arkansas in 4
Conway as student manager of the team; and 5
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WHEREAS, during his four (4) years at the University of Central 7
Arkansas, Scottie Pippen grew to six feet, eight inches (6'8") tall and two 8
hundred ten pounds (210 lbs.), and he grew in skill and experience as a 9
basketball player because the team allowed him to play all five (5) positions 10
on the team; and 11
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WHEREAS, the University of Central Arkansas won conference 13
championships during Scottie Pippen's junior and senior years, and he was 14
twice voted onto the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes All -15
America team; and 16
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen was selected in the first round as the fifth 18
overall pick in the 1987 National Basketball Association draft and was 19
immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a deal because the Bulls 20
desired Pippen's unique skills; and 21
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen quickly became an essential member of the 23
Chicago Bulls team, and, like his sensational teammate Michael Jordan, Pippen 24
excelled in all aspects of the game; and 25
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan were the only players on the 27
Chicago Bulls team to participate in both strings of Chicago Bulls team 28
championships from 1991 through 1993 and from 1996 through 1998; and 29
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WHEREAS, during his professional basketball career, Scottie Pippen 31
scored eighteen thousand nine hundred forty (18,940) points, earned six 32
thousand one hundred thirty -five (6,135) assists, and secured two thousand 33
three hundred seven (2,307) steals; and 34
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen also set Chicago Bulls records for the most 36 SR35
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three-point baskets made at six hundred sixty -four (664) for which he is 1
still ranked in the top five (5), and he still holds the position for third -2
highest rebounds recorded at five thousand seven hundred twenty -six (5,726); 3
and 4
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WHEREAS, few professional basketball players have contributed to their 6
team's success in as many different ways as Scottie Pippen did, and he often 7
played with the team despite pain and injury, most notably in 1998 when he 8
withstood a painful back injury to help the Chicago Bulls win the final game 9
of the championship series against the Utah Jazz; and 10
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WHEREAS, following his time with the Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen 12
played one (1) season with the Houston Rockets and four (4) seasons for the 13
Portland Trail Blazers before returning to Chicago to play his final year in 14
the National Basketball Association with the Chicago Bulls; and 15
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WHEREAS, in all but one (1) year of Scottie Pippen's seventeen -year 17
professional basketball career, the team he played for made the playoffs; and 18
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WHEREAS, during his professional basketball career, Scottie Pippen was 20
named to the National Basketball Association All -Star team seven (7) times, 21
and he won six (6) National Basketball Association championships, all with 22
the Chicago Bulls; and 23
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen won gold medals in the 1992 and 1996 Summer 25
Olympics on the United States "Dream Team" basketball team; and 26
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WHEREAS, during the 1996 -1997 season, Scottie Pippen was named one (1) 28
of the fifty (50) greatest players in National Basketball Association 29
history; and 30
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WHEREAS, in 2010, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball 32
Hall of Fame, and he is one of the few two -time inductees, having been 33
inducted once for his National Basketball Association career and once for his 34
time on the Olympic "Dream Team"; and 35
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WHEREAS, following his professional basketball career, Scottie Pippen 1
has been a studio analyst in television broadcasts, been in many 2
advertisements, and portrayed himself in guest appearances on television 3
programs, and he also played for Scandinavian professional basketball teams 4
in 2008 and has since served as an overseas ambassador for the National 5
Basketball Association; and 6
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen's number thirty -three (33) basketball jersey 8
was retired by both the University of Central Arkansas and the Chicago Bulls, 9
and he is one (1) of only four (4) players to have his jersey retired by the 10
Chicago Bulls; and 11
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen is the father of five (5) children and in 1997 13
wrote an autobiography for children titled "Reach Higher", and he hosts 14
basketball camps for Arkansas children; and 15
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WHEREAS, in 2012, Scottie Pippen was named senior advisor to the 17
Chicago Bulls' president and chief operating officer; and 18
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WHEREAS, although Scottie Pippen never won a National Basketball 20
Association championship while Michael Jordan was not his teammate, neither 21
did Michael Jordan ever win such a championship while Scottie Pippen was not 22
his teammate, and Jordan said of Pippen, "I know [Scottie Pippen] makes me a 23
better player. Unfortunately, it may take a while, after we both retire, for 24
people to realize just how good Scottie Pippen really was"; and 25
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WHEREAS, Scottie Pippen was featured in the popular 2020 ten -part 27
Netflix docuseries "The Last Dance", which focused on the Chicago Bulls' 28
dominance of basketball in the 1990s, and in November 2021, he released his 29
memoir, "Unguarded"; and 30
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WHEREAS, on June 14, 2021, the basketball court inside the University 32
of Central Arkansas Farris Center was dedicated in Scottie Pippen's honor, 33
and the court features his name and signature; and 34
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WHEREAS, at the June dedication of the basketball court, Scottie Pippen 36 SR35
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said of his career and life, "The hard work that I put in over the years, my 1
dedication to the game . . . this just gives me an opportunity to leave a 2
legacy behind. It's a great feeling . . . You dream of playing the game and 3
being the best at it. To be able to have other people look upon your game, 4
what you've done over your career, is special, to be honored this way. And 5
I'm just truly grateful for it . . . I came here and I worked very hard, 6
spent a lot of time in this gym and in the weight room . . . I wanted to be 7
remembered when I left here and this is a great way of being honored for it . 8
. . This university gave me the opportunity [to play in the National 9
Basketball Association], and I took advantage of it. And every day, I'm 10
thankful for that opportunity . . . the University of Central Arkansas has 11
been a guide in my life. This is my family", 12
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NOW THEREFORE, 14
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE 15
STATE OF ARKANSAS: 16
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THAT the Senate recognize University of Central Arkansas and National 18
Basketball Association star Scottie Pippen for his achievements and for his 19
contributions to his community, the State of Arkansas, the nation, and the 20
world. 21
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption, a copy of this resolution be 23
presented to Scottie Pippen by the Secretary of the Senate. 24
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