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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 28: Former NBA player Scottie Pippen looks on during the NBL Play-In ... More Qualifier match between Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers at Qudos Bank Arena, on February 28, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
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Scottie Pippen isn’t jumping into crypto for attention. He’s here to build. The Hall of Famer is part of a growing wave of athletes who see blockchain not just as a financial opportunity, but as a cultural one. In our conversation, he reflected on how little players talked about investing during his NBA days, why Bitcoin finally clicked for him, and how his latest project, $BALL, isn’t just another token. It’s a bet that physical objects, like the championship basketball from his first title, can carry value across blockchains, generations, and communities.
Pippen’s resume speaks for itself: six NBA championships, seven All-Star appearances, ten All-Defensive team selections, and two Olympic gold medals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice, once as an individual and again as a member of the legendary 1992 “Dream Team.” Widely regarded as one of the greatest two-way players in basketball history, Pippen’s impact on the game has been felt across decades. Now, he’s aiming to leave a similar mark in a new arena.
When Scottie Pippen entered the NBA in 1987, investing wasn’t part of locker room conversations. “I don’t think players talked too much about it,” he told me. One of the few exceptions was Junior Bridgeman, a former Milwaukee Buck who quietly built a fast food empire after retiring. “He was one of those guys we kind of idolized and respected for what he had done,” Pippen said.
Bridgeman never made an All-Star team, but he turned his NBA salary into ownership of over 400 Wendy’s and Chili’s franchises. That transformation, from role player to multimillionaire businessman, stood out in a league where endorsements and flashy purchases were often more visible than equity or ownership.
Pippen tried to follow a similar path. Early in his career, he invested in Taco Bell franchises, but a falling out with his partners forced him out of the deal. “I didn’t have the bandwidth to do it myself,” he said, noting how hard it was to navigate without the right people around him.
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