Gary Payton and Michael Jordan went head-to-head in the 1996 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Glove. The nickname fit Gary Payton like Isotoners.

He got his nickname “The Glove” when Payton’s cousin called him during the 1993 Western Conference Finals series against Phoenix and told him, “you’re holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove,” and the nickname was born.

The only point guard ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Payton is widely considered one of the greatest of all time at that position. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times, an NBA record he shares with Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. He was selected to the All-NBA team nine times and voted to the All-Star game nine times.

Payton was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this year. During his acceptance speech, the Oakland native bragged that he was the best trash talker in the history of the NBA.

Payton talked a good game, but he backed up his bravado with plenty of skill. Defense was his calling card, and he’s considered one of the best lock-down perimeter defenders the game has ever seen.

OneManFastBreak.net ranks the 10 best perimeter defenders in NBA history:

10) Michael Cooper – Larry Bird paid Cooper the highest compliment when he called him the tougher defender he has ever played against. That’s high praise coming for Larry Legend. Cooper possessed the perfect body and mindset to be a great defender: lean and mean. He made the NBA All-Defensive First Team five times, and named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1986-87 season.

9) LeBron James – The only reason why LeBron isn’t ranked higher on this list is because he’s far from finished. James is one of the few people in the world who can defend all five positions. LeBron’s power, speed, and agility allows him to cover so much ground. Since joining the Miami Heat, LeBron’s defense has gone from good to great. He could have easily been named defensive player of the year in 2012-13. It’ll just be a matter of time.

LeBron James was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2012-13. (GETTY IMAGES)

8) Joe Dumars – The great Michael Jordan calls Dumars the best defender he’s ever gone up against. Along with Dennis Rodman, Joe D was the cornerstone of Chuck Daly’s “Jordan Rules” defensive playbook that powered the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA titles. The scheme ultimately forced the Chicago Bulls to alter their game plan and feature other players on the court so defenders can’t load up on Jordan.

7) Ron Artest – Whether he’s Ron Artest or Metta World Peace, the 6-7, 250-pound bully from Queensbridge, N.Y., is a feared defender because he’s flat-out crazy. Crazy in a good way. Artest is blessed with strong hands, and he knows how to use them. Artest is extremely physical and no guard or forward in the world could back him down. His on-court antics sometimes borders on lunacy, but you’d want Artest on your side when there’s a brawl.

6) Alvin Robertson – Defense was Robertson’s forte, and defense was the reason why Bobby Knight invited him to the 1984 Olympic Trials. Robertson earned a spot on the squad — a team that featured Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin — and won a gold medal in Los Angeles. Robertson was the 1985-86 defensive player of the year, leading the league that season with 3.7 steals per game. He amassed 2,112 steals for his career.

5) Kobe Bryant – About the only void in Kobe’s brilliant and soon to be Hall-of-Fame career is that he never won defensive player of the year. But that’s not his fault. Voters tend to favor big men, as only seven non-centers have won defensive player of the year. Bryant will go down in history as one of the best on-ball defenders the league has ever seen. He is such an offensive genius that his man-to-man skills sometimes gets overshadowed. Kobe has been named to the all-defensive first team nine times.

Kobe Bryant is a nine-time member of the NBA all-defensive team. (GETTY IMAGES)

4) SIDNEY MONCRIEF — During the 1980s, there were plenty of top perimeter defenders in the league – such as Michael Cooper, Alvin Robertson and Joe Dumars – but Moncrief was regarded as one of the best at his position. The former Milwaukee Bucks star was the first to receive the defensive player of the year award, winning it 1982-83 and again in 1983-84, and his effort and energy powered the Bucks to the third-best winning percentage in the ’80s behind only the Lakers and Celtics. “When you play against Moncrief, you’re in for a night of all-around basketball,” Michael Jordan said. “He’ll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it.”

3) GARY PAYTON — The Glove won defensive player of the year in 1996 and amassed 2,445 steals during his 17-year NBA career that included stints in Seattle, Milwaukee, L.A., Boston and Miami. At 6-4, Payton could cover point guards as well as shooting guards, and his trash talking was second to none. GP loved to get in his opponent’s head with incessant dialogue, and it wasn’t always playful. Payton credits former Seattle Sonics assistant coach Tim Grgurich for turning him loose on the defensive end. Grgurich, who worked under Hall-of-Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian, gave Payton more freedom and allowed him to wreak havoc. With Payton and Nate McMillan hounding you in the backcourt, the Sonics were no walk in the park.

2) MICHAEL JORDAN — Jordan is regarded as one of the greatest — if not the best — offensive players in basketball history, but his defense was just as good. He could have easily been the No. 1 player on this list. Jordan took great pride in shutting down his man, making him the gold standard in terms of being a two-way player. He never backed down from a challenge, and he often volunteered to guard the other team’s best player. Jordan was named defensive player of the year in 1987-88 and made first-team all-defense nine times. If there was one chink on Jordan’s armor — and this is a total nitpick — he occasionally gambled on the defensive end and left the back end vulnerable to backdoor cuts and dribble penetration. And he also got away with more fouls because of his legendary reputation, as referees tend to swallow their whistles when Jordan pushed up on his man.

Michael Jordan was the unquestioned leader of the Chicago Bulls, but teammate Scottie Pippen often carried the heavier load on defense. (GETTY IMAGES)

1) SCOTTIE PIPPEN — Phil Jackson calls Scottie Pippen one of the smartest defensive players he has ever coach. This is tall praise from a man who coached Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. Pippen disrupted many offensive plans with his quickness, length and incredible instincts. He was named to the all-defensive first team eight times and amassed 2,307 steals. During the 1991 NBA Finals, Pippen flipped the series around when he suffocated Magic Johnson in Game 2 and made it extremely difficult for the Lakers to get into their offensive sets. Pippen started the game on James Worthy and when Jordan picked up two pick fouls, Phil Jackson switched Pippen on Magic and the series took a stunning turn in favor of the Bulls. In the 1998 Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers Pippen smothered Mark Jackson from end-to-end, disrupting Indiana’s attack and forcing coach Larry Bird to turn to the quicker Travis Best. Jordan earned a reputation for being a shutdown perimeter defender, but when you break it all down Pippen was the quarterback of the Bulls on defense.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Former Chicago Bulls player Scottie Pippen, with his wife Larsa, joined President Obama in a pick-up basketball game on Election Day. (GETTY IMAGES)

President Obama is very superstitious. On Election Day, he wanted to keep tradition and play some hoops, something he did in 2008 when he won the presidency. But Obama didn’t want to just play a game, he wanted to make sure he won. So he called in a ringer: Scottie Pippen.

Obama is a huge Chicago Bulls fan, and having Pippen on his team was a no-brainer for the 44th President of the United States. Obama and Pippen were joined by former Bulls guard Randy Brown and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Thanks to Pippen, the president’s team won. Later that evening, the president won re-election when he defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Election Day was a great day for President Obama.

Adam Fluck of Bulls.com wrote:

There are certain perks that come with having won six world championships and being a member of basketball’s Hall of Fame.

One of them, as Scottie Pippen learned this week, is that you get an invitation to play in President Barack Obama’s traditional Election Day basketball game.

So on Tuesday afternoon, as millions of Americans took time out of their daily routine to vote, Pippen joined Obama, along with some of the President’s closest friends and top advisors, on a basketball court roughly one mile west of the United Center.

“When he first entered the gym, if you hadn’t looked over to see him, you wouldn’t have noticed,” said Pippen of Obama. “It was surprisingly low key. He just came in and started shaking hands. He’s someone who is very easy to approach.”

It was the first time Pippen had met Obama. The connection was made through a mutual friend, Marty Nesbitt. Obama mentioned that Nesbitt thinks very highly of Pippen.

“He said it was a pleasure to meet me and that he had heard good things about me from Marty,” said Pippen. “I told him, ‘Thank you and I wish you well tonight. But if you want to be a winner this afternoon, you better play with me.’”

Apparently the President agreed, so when the action began, Pippen and Obama were on the same team, in addition to former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and two others. And this was no informal pickup game—there were officials, a running clock and four 12-minute quarters.

As for a scouting report on the left-handed Obama, Pippen came away impressed.

“He’s not an overly aggressive player, but he takes what the defense gives him,” said Pippen. “He’s got a smooth game. He probably used to be a little more aggressive, but obviously he doesn’t want to get hurt.”

That certainly wasn’t going to happen if the defense had anything to do about it.

“I thought the lanes opened up when Michael Jordan used to drive,” laughed Pippen. “I used to be like, wow. But when I saw the President drive, I thought they were bringing the whole motorcade through the lane it was so wide.”

In the end, and perhaps this comes as no surprise, it was Obama and Pippen’s team who walked away with an easy win.

“We kind of blew them out,” said Pippen. “It should have been worse but we started messing around at the end. The game was close for awhile, but in the third quarter we opened it up. They tried to get back in it in the fourth, but we kept expanding the lead. It was a good game, fun and competitive.”

John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and Charles Barkley revel in the moment after clinching the gold medal for the United States at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Twenty years ago, when NBA players were allowed to participate in the Summer Olympics it changed the entire landscape of the sport of basketball.

The global impact of the 1992 U.S. men’s basketball team — also known as the Dream Team — was enormous. They opened the door for international players such as Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker to become NBA stars and heightened the popularity of the sport around the world.

A documentary presented by NBA TV sheds light on how the Dream Team came together and the untold stories behind the greatest team ever assembled.

The first call went to Michael Jordan as then NBA executive Rod Thorn called the reigning league MVP and explained to the Bulls’ megastar that “this is bigger than the NBA Finals . . . and we need you.”

Jordan was hesitant at first because he had already gone through the whole Olympic experience. He needed to be convinced and told who else was joining the historic squad. So Thorn made his next move. He called Magic Johnson.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” Johnson said. “I was in from Day 1. I figured if I jumped in first and said I wanted to play then I would get guys to want to participate as well.”

“I think if Magic wasn’t on that team it wouldn’t have been as spectacular as it was. To finish out our careers was important for both of us,” said Larry Bird, who was named team captain along with Magic.

“Once you get guys like Magic and Larry committing on the team then all of a sudden it becomes something very, very special. Representing the USA is already a tremendous honor. To know that you’re gonna be on a dream team is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said center David Robinson, who was a member of the U.S. Olympic squad that finished a disappointing third  in the 1988 Summer Games in South Korea. It was the watershed moment that sparked the whole NBA-led Olympic movement.

“They called in the big guns,” Patrick Ewing said.

One by one the Dream Team started to take shape. After Jordan, Magic and Bird eight other Hall-of-Famers accepted the invitation: Robinson, Ewing, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, John Stockton, and Clyde Drexler. The last spot was filled in by Duke University standout Christian Laettner — whom many referred to as “the college guy.”

“It didn’t matter if you called me last. I got the call,” Malone said.

There was one major omission from the squad and that was Detroit All-Star Isiah Thomas. Jordan and Pippen both admitted they didn’t want Thomas — the ring leader of the Motor City bad boys, who tormented the Chicago Bulls for years — on the roster and the bad blood between the Bulls and the Pistons spilled over into the selection process of the Dream Team.

“I don’t think [Jordan] wanted [Isiah] on the team,” Pippen said.

The first official win for the Dream Team was the 77-point blowout against Cuba in the Tournament of Americas in Portland. The starting five who took the floor that day was Magic, Jordan, Barkley, Bird and Robinson. It was the first time Magic, Bird and Jordan — arguably the three greatest players in basketball history — shared a court together as teammates.

Magic made it a point to compete against Jordan in anything, anywhere, and anytime from HORSE games to free-throw shooting contests in practice to card games.

In Monte Carlo the scrimmages were intense as Daly split the practice squads and held live four-quarter games. On one side it was Jordan, Pippen, Mullin, Barkley and Ewing. Magic’s team had Drexler, Malone, Bird, and Robinson.

“Michael never liked to lose,” Pippen said. “He always got that look. When you see that look then give him the damn ball and get out of the way.”

Jordan said as much as it was five-on-five games it gravitating toward a Michael vs. Magic showdown.

By the time practice was over even Magic, who won five championships in the 1980s with the L.A. Lakers, had to acknowledge that basketball’s landscape had changed forever. “Larry and I were talking and Michael walks in and he says ‘There’s a new Sheriff in town.’ And we both hit each other like ‘Well, he’s not lying.’ ”

Monte Carlo definitely had its perks and Barkley, easily the most quotable star on the team, wasn’t shy about sharing one of those private moments. “Everyday after we got back from practice we made a beeline to the swimming pool with all those girls laying out topless,” Barkley said.

Barkley also admitted that you didn’t want to get in a beer-drinking contest with Bird because “Larry Bird drank Budweiser and Budweiser is the strongest beer in the world. And my head hurt for like two days.”

Robinson and Drexler also marveled at how Jordan could play round after round of golf yet still have enough energy to practice basketball. “I remember thinking ‘Does this guy ever sleep?’ ” Drexler joked.

The Dream Team officially didn’t lose a game, but there was that one dubious “loss” to the U.S. Select squad — which included then college studs Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Rodney Rogers, Eric Montross, and Chris Webber — at the start of training camp.

The college players defeated the Dream Team, 62-54, during a scrimmage in UC San Diego, but assistant coach Mike Krzyzewski saw it differently.

“Chuck [Daly] threw the game,” Krzyzewski said of the Dream Team coach’s master plan.

“If you looked on how much Jordan played and how much he subbed guys in, not picking up, not making any adjustments. He knew what he was doing,” Krzyzewski said. “I hate to burst their bubble, but it was a game thrown. Not many people would have done it, and he did it.”

Krzyzewski added: “It was brilliant on Chuck’s part to be able to orchestrate that and play along like he did.”

So why didn’t he tell his staff? “We probably would have screwed it up,” Coach K explained.

The next day the Dream Teamers flexed their muscles and showed why they were basketball legends. Barkley boasted his side won by more than 100 points and Coach K remembered the Select Team had all kinds of problems putting the ball in the basket. And, oh by the way, Jordan played a lot more in the rematch.

“It was gratifying to Chuck to have our butts beat like that because now we had to listen to him,” Jordan said.

Malone recalled Daly’s one and only speech to the players, and the message was crystal clear. “His speech was anybody can get beat,” The Mailman said.

From that point on the team never lost and none of the games were even close. The ’92 U.S. Olympic team ripped through the competition in Barcelona en route to the gold medal. They showcased total domination, execution, and basketball genius that left a lasting legacy that still resonates 20 years later.

“We made the game a worldwide game,” Barkley said. “I talked to Tony Parker, I talked to Ginobili, I talked to Dirk Nowitzki. Those guys said their first love of basketball started with the Dream Team. And I’m really proud of that.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Dennis Rodman won three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and two with the Detroit Pistons. (GETTY/ALLSPORT)

Dennis Rodman entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. It’s a deserving honor considering the enormous impact Rodman has had in the sport, especially on defense where he truly (and literally) left his mark.

Rodman was an absolute pest on the defensive end, hounding perimeter players and muscling post players with an all-out style that bordered on dirty and calculated. Rodman, nicknamed The Worm, was a unique individual on and off the court. He played to the beat of his own drum, and because he wore his emotions on his biceps he can very difficult to deal with if you don’t allow him his space. But underneath the bleached hair, multiple tattoos, piercings and eccentric personality lies a truly great basketball player who defended his position with boundless energy and passion.

Rodman didn’t care about individual scoring. All he cared about was playing hard, defending his turf and, most of all, winning. When he won the first of his two NBA defensive player of the year awards in 1990 he cried at the podium. That’s how much the award meant to him, and also it validated all the hard work he put into his craft. Defense wins championships is an adage that rings true for Rodman as he helped his teams win the NBA title five times during his career. Whether it was against Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Karl Malone, Rodman gave them hell. He guarded the basket as if his lunch money was on the line.

So, where does Dennis Rodman rank among the all-time best defensive players in NBA history? OneManFastBreak.net examines the 10 best defenders of all time:

10) ALONZO MOURNING — The former Georgetown Hoya epitomized what a Miami Heat player was in the Pat Riley era – physically and mentally tough. Riley built the Heat image with Zo in mind. Mourning was a two-time defensive player of the year, and he may have won a few more if not for kidney issues. Zo rejected 2,356 shots in his career, but altered thousands more.

9) BEN WALLACE — The Detroit Pistons captured the NBA title in 2003-04 using a suffocating defense anchored by Big Ben. In the NBA Finals, Wallace (who stands just 6-7, but 6-9 with his massive afro) guarded 7-1 Shaquille O’Neal and held his own without much of a double team and absorbed the beating from the 300-pound Shaq. Wallace is one of just two players in league history to win defensive player of the year four times.

8) SIDNEY MONCRIEF — During the 1980s, there were plenty of top perimeter defenders in the league – such as Michael Cooper, Alvin Robertson and Joe Dumars – but Moncrief was regarded as the best at his position. The former Bucks star was the first to receive the defensive player of the year award, winning it 1982-83 and again in 1983-84.

7) HAKEEM OLAJUWON — Hakeem The Dream is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocked shots, rejecting 3,830 shots during his Hall-of-Fame career. Olajuwon and Michael Jordan are the only two players in league history to win MVP and defensive player of the year in the same season. Olajuwon won both in 1993-94, while Jordan pulled off the feat in 1987-88.

6) GARY PAYTON — Nicknamed The Glove for the way he enveloped his opponents, Payton won defensive player of the year in 1996 and amassed 2,445 steals during his 17-year NBA career that included stints in Seattle, Milwaukee, L.A., Boston and Miami. The Glove was also one of the league’s best trash talkers, which oftentimes gave him a huge psychological edge.

5) MICHAEL JORDAN — Jordan is regarded as one of the greatest offensive players in basketball, but his defense was almost as good as his offense. Jordan took pride on being a two-way player, making him one of few all-time great scorers who defended his position as well as anyone in the sport. MJ never backed down from a challenge, and he often volunteered to guard the other team’s best player.

4) DIKEMBE MUTOMBO — At 7-3 and arms as long as a redwood, few tried to challenge Mt. Mutombo at the rim. And those who did often found rejection and was the recipient of an embarrassing finger wag – Mutombo’s signature diss for anyone who dared to challenge him. Mutombo blocked 3,289 shots in his career, second only to Olajuwon. He also won defensive player of the year four times, tied with Wallace for most DPY awards.

3) SCOTTIE PIPPEN — Phil Jackson calls Scottie Pippen one of the smartest defensive players he has ever coach. This is high praise from a man who coached Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. Pippen disrupted many offensive plans with his quickness, length and incredible instincts. He was named to the NBA’s all-defensive first team eight times and amassed 2,307 steals. During the 1991 NBA Finals, he flipped the series in favor of the Chicago Bulls when he suffocated Magic Johnson in Game 2 and made it extremely difficult for the Lakers to get into their offensive sets. Jordan often got more recognition for his defense, but Pippen was the quarterback of the Bulls’ defense.

2) DENNIS RODMAN — During his Hall-of-Fame acceptance speech, Rodman admitted that all the glitz and glamor is one big act. Underneath the body ink and the fancy outfits is a hard-working man who came from nothing and amounted to something. In the 1996 NBA Finals, then Seattle Sonics coach George Karl said Rodman could have easily been named the MVP of the Bulls-Sonics series, as Karl pointed out that Rodman almost single-handedly won two games for the Bulls in the series with his energy and defense. His former Piston teammate, Dumars, said that Rodman may be flamboyant off the court but on the court he was all business.

1) BILL RUSSELL — Defense wins championships and nobody won more titles in the NBA than William Felton Russell. The 1960s began and ended with Russell walking off the court a champion. The Boston Celtics dynasty was built on defense, and Russell was front and center. He is second all-time in rebounds with 21,620 and turned the blocked shot into an art form.

Blocks weren’t kept during Russell’s playing days, but if they were he would easily be in the top five. What made Russell a great shot-blocker was the way he kept the ball in play, often igniting fast breaks for his teammates. And even though he lost the majority of his one-on-one battles with his nemesis Wilt Chamberlain, Russell never backed away from his greatest challenge and the Celtics almost always came out on top on the scoreboard. Great defensive centers are often compared to Russell, but the five-time NBA MVP was a once-in-a-lifetime player.

Joel Huerto is the publisher and editor of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Larsa Pippen will be a part of the cast on “The Real Housewives of Miami,” which airs on Feb. 22 on Bravo. She’ll be joined by another well known NBA housewife, Cristy Rice. Cristy is the former wife of NBA star Glen Rice. She’s a single mom of three children and runs her own clothing store.

Larsa currently holds the unofficial title of “Hottest NBA Wife.” She is a former model and is Assyrian-American heritage. They’ve been married since 1997. Jay Crawford of First Take asked Scottie Pippen who is the head of the Pippen household, and the six-time NBA champion said, without hesitation, that his wife is the real MVP of the family.

Once again, Scottie Pippen has to play second fiddle. He certainly doesn’t mind deferring. You think Michael Jordan will ever admit that his ex-wife was the one holding court? Doubt it.

The rest of the cast of the Miami “Housewives” include:

Alexia Echevarria: She calls herself “Cuban Barbie” and is executive editor of Venue, a magazine devoted to fashion and Latin A-listers. She loves to spend time in her Miami Beach home with her husband, Hernan, and her two sons from a previous marriage.

Marysol Patton: She heads up her own ultra-glam public relations firm The Patton Group.

Lea Black: A community leader and major supporter for Barack Obama who heads up her own charity. She and husband Roy Black, one of the country’s top criminal defense attorneys, share a 9-year-old son.

Adriana DeMoura-Sidi : Fresh off a nasty divorce, this Brazilian-born art curator is engaged to Frederic.

In the NBA, Michael Jordan became a champion with a big assist from Scottie Pippen.

With Pippen as his wingman, Jordan won six NBA championships and six Finals MVPs with the Chicago Bulls. Pippen was the Robin to Jordan’s Batman. He was the ultimate No. 2 option to basketball’s No. 1 option. He was the perfect complement to the man many consider as the G.O.A.T.

Whenever Jordan needed help on offense, Pippen willingly shouldered some of the burden. During the Bulls’ championship run in the 1990s, it was Pippen who initiated and ran Phil Jackson’s triangle offense in Chicago.

Whenever Jordan needed help on defense, it was Pippen who often drew the assignment of guarding the other team’s best scorer to keep Jordan from getting into foul trouble.

And when Jordan was sick and needed someone to pick him up, Pippen was there to pick him up. During Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, Jordan was so sick he barely had the strength to return to the bench. Who was there to help him? Pippen.

You can’t mention Jordan’s accomplishments without giving credit to his famous sidekick.

Pippen will finally got his due when he gets officially enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on Aug. 13, a HOF class that includes Karl Malone, Bob Hurley Sr., Cynthia Cooper and the late Dennis Johnson.

Pippen certainly deserved to be a Hall-of-Famer. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star, an eight-time member of the NBA’s all-defensive team, won six championship rings, a member of the Dream Team in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team.

As the leading man, Pippen also took two teams – the 1994 Bulls and the 2000 Portland Trail Blazers – to the conference finals. Jordan never got past the conference semifinals without Pippen.

The former Central Arkansas standout was one of the most versatile players in the league history. He played four positions on offense and was a very capable scorer. He could drive to the basket at will and finish with either hand, and when defenders backed off he made himself into a decent 3-point shooter.

Defense was Pippen’s calling card. With the exception of Bill Russell, Pippen could very well be the greatest defensive player in league history. His lengthy 6-foot-8 frame allowed him to guard any perimeter player. When the Bulls needed a stopper in the 1991 NBA Finals against the Lakers’ 6-9 point guard Magic Johnson, Jackson summoned Pippen to stifle the leader of Showtime. And he did.

In Jackson’s defensive scheme, Pippen was the shutdown corner and Jordan was the free safety.

Though no one will ever question who was better between Jordan or Pippen, the fact remains that Jordan never won a championship without Pippen. To bring home the trophy, you need a good wingman. Just like Magic needed Kareem, Bird needed McHale, West needed Wilt and Shaq needed Kobe.