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Two of the greatest dynasties in NBA history have been the 1960s Boston Celtics and the 1990s Chicago Bulls – led by legendary coaches in Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson and transcendent superstars in Bill Russell and Michael Jordan, respectively, equally important to each team’s success were their “secondary” or “complementary” stars. In particular, two names that stand out from these teams are small forwards John Havlicek and Scottie Pippen, who were each renowned for their versatility in terms of an ability to score, rebound, pass, and defend, and basically do whatever was necessary to win. Superstars in their own right, given their similar importance to legendary teams, an apt question to ask is:
Who was better – John Havlicek or Scottie Pippen?
The Beginning
Though both Havlicek and Pippen were top-ten draft picks, their paths to the NBA could not have been more divergent – Havlicek was a highly recruited high school star and won a national championship in college, while Pippen was lightly recruited and did not even play college ball at the NCAA level.
Havlicek was a three-sport star in high school in Ohio and stayed local at Ohio State University for his college ball, where he was part of the 1960 NCAA title team; additionally, he was an alternate for the legendary US Basketball Team at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome that included future Hall of Famers such as Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Jerry Lucas, and Walt Bellamy. Following an outstanding collegiate career, Havlicek was drafted seventh overall in the 1962 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, as well as by the Cleveland Browns of the NFL; interestingly, he actually participated in Cleveland’s training camp before focusing all of his energies on basketball. As a rookie in 1962-1963, Havlicek averaged 14.3 points (44.5% shooting), 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game to earn All-Rookie team honors (remember that the three-point line did not yet exist back in his day).
Meanwhile, as the youngest of a dozen children growing up in Arkansas, Pippen did not receive any college basketball scholarships despite leading his high school to the state playoffs and earning All-Conference honors. As a result, he walked on at the University of Central Arkansas, which was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) rather than the NCAA. By his senior year, he was a consensus NAIA All-American, which led to the Seattle SuperSonics drafting Pippen fifth overall in the 1985 NBA Draft. However, the Chicago Bulls coveted Pippen and ended up trading Olden Polynice and future draft picks for his services – coming off the bench as a rookie, Pippen averaged 7.9 points (46.3% shooting), 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game in 1987-1988.
Career Comparison
As they blossomed into full-fledged stars, Havlicek and Pippen not only became invaluable contributors to championship teams, but at various times, it could be argued that they were among the best players in the league and perhaps the most important players on their respective star-studded teams.
Known for revolutionizing the sixth man role, Havlicek earned the first of seven Second Team All-NBA selections in 1963-1964 on the strength of 19.9 points (41.7% shooting), 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. This was followed in 1965-1966 by the first of 13 straight All-Star Games (i.e. the rest of his career) as Havlicek averaged 18.8 points (though only 39.9% shooting), 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game and was once again Second Team All-NBA. Starting in 1966-1967, he would average 20+ points per game for eight straight years: 21.4 points (44.4% shooting), 6.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. To close out the decade, Havlicek had three more Second Team All-NBA seasons from 1967-1968 to 1969-1970 and would also be named All-Defensive for eight straight years (3x Second Team followed by 5x First Team).
As the 1970s rolled around, Havlicek would hit his career peak with four consecutive First Team All-NBA seasons. In particular, his two best individual seasons came in 1970-1971 and 1971-1972 when he led the NBA in minutes played both years (45.4 and 45.1 minutes per game, respectively):
- 1970-1971: 28.9 points (45.0% shooting), 9.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game (all career-highs)
- 1971-1972: 27.5 points (45.8% shooting), 8.2 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game
His last First Team All-NBA season in 1973-1974 would also be his final year averaging 20+ points per game: 22.6 points, 45.6% shooting, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Nevertheless, Havlicek remained an elite player with two more Second Team All-NBA selections, the last one coming in 1975-1976 (17.0 points on 45.0% shooting, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game). Even in his final season in 1977-1978, he remained a highly effective player and averaged 16.1 points per game; upon retiring at age 37, Havlicek was the Celtics’ all-time leading scorer with 26,395 career points (20.8 points per game) and remains so today (#2 and #3 on the list are Paul Pierce and Larry Bird, respectively).
Meanwhile, Pippen became a starter during his second season and would follow-up a year later with his first All-Star Game selection in 1989-1990 on the strength of 16.5 points (on 48.9% shooting), 6.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game; this would mark the first of nine straight seasons in Chicago averaging at least 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He followed up with another solid season in 1990-1991, shooting a career-best 52.0% and making Second Team All-Defensive before embarking on six straight All-Star seasons beginning in 1991-1992: 21.0 points (50.6% shooting), 7.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, which also led to Second Team All-NBA honors and the first of eight straight First Team All-Defensive selections.
Following a Third Team All-NBA selection in 1992-1993, Pippen would enter his prime as teammate Michael Jordan retired for the first time ahead of the 1993-1994 season to pursue baseball. Assuming the mantle as the Bulls’ leader and go-to player, Pippen posted three straight First Team All-NBA seasons:
- 1993-1994: a career-high 22.0 points (49.1% shooting), a career-best 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.9 steals per game
- 1994-1995: 21.4 points (on 48.0% shooting), 8.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game; Jordan would return towards the end of the season. Not only did Pippen win the steals title, but he was also only the second player in NBA history (after Dave Cowens) to lead his team in every major statistical category, a feat that has since also been accomplished by Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo
- 1995-1996: in Jordan’s first full season back, Pippen ceded some of the load, averaging 19.4 points (46.3% shooting), 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game
Pippen’s last All-Star season came in 1996-1997, when he was also Second Team All-NBA with 20.2 points (47.4% shooting), 6.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.9 steals per game; furthermore, his final season in Chicago in 1997-1998 would also mark his final All-NBA selection (Third Team).
With Jordan retiring again after the 1997-1998 season, Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets for Roy Rogers and a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft (used on Jake Voskuhl) – the idea was for him to team with fellow future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley to form a “Big Three”. However, the trio did not mesh and after just one season, Pippen was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Stacey Augmon, Kelvin Cato, Ed Gray, Carlos Rogers, Brian Shaw, and Walt Williams; in four seasons with Portland, Pippen was a solid contributor, averaging around 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.5 assists per game. After his stint with the Trail Blazers, Pippen returned to Chicago, but only played 23 games with the Bulls due to injuries and retired after the 2003-2004 season at age 38.
All in all, Havlicek and Pippen had similar career lengths, with the former playing one additional season and roughly 100 more games. Statistically, Havlicek was the more prolific scorer (20.8 vs. 16.1 points per game), though Pippen was a more efficient shooter, slightly better rebounder (6.4 vs. 6.3 rebounds per game), and slightly better passer (5.2 vs. 4.8 assists per game). On the flip side, Havlicek earned more All-Star and All-NBA selections (13x and 11x vs. 7x and 7x, respectively), though Pippen was more recognized defensively (10x All-Defensive vs. 8x). From an advanced metrics perspective, the story is close, but mixed – Pippen has a higher Player Efficiency Rating (PER), while Havlicek has a slight edge in career Win-Shares. Given their accomplished careers and versatie playing styles, both players were first-ballot Hall of Famers (Havlicek – 1984, Pippen – 2010).
Regular Season Statistics
| John Havlicek | Player | Scottie Pippen |
| 16 (1962-1978) | Seasons | 17 (1987-2004) |
| 1,270 | Games Played | 1,178 |
| 20.8 | Points | 16.1 |
| 6.3 | Rebounds | 6.4 |
| 4.8 | Assists | 5.2 |
| 43.9% | Field Goal % | 47.3% |
| 81.5% | Free Throw % | 70.4% |
| 17.5 | PER | 18.6 |
| 131.7 | Win Shares | 125.1 |
| 13x | All-Star Games | 7x |
| 11x | All-NBA | 7x |
| – | MVP | – |
| 8x | NBA Titles | 6x |
| 1x | NBA Finals MVP | – |
| 8x All-Defensive, All-Rookie | Other Awards | 10x All-Defensive |
| 1984 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2010 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
In addition to their regular season prowess, Havlicek and Pippen are perhaps best remembered for being key pieces on multiple championship teams – the Celtics won eight titles during Havlicek’s career and the Bulls were champions 6x during Pippen’s playing days.
With 13 career playoff appearances and eight titles (including an 8-0 Finals record), Havlicek won more championships than any other player in NBA history except for fellow Celtics greats Bill Russell (11) and Sam Jones (10). In fact, the Celtics won the title in each of his first four seasons, including 3x vs. Jerry West and the Los Angeles Lakers; overall, five of Havlicek’s championship rings would come against the Lakers. Individually, his best performances in the Finals came later on his career:
- 1967-1968: led Boston with 27.3 points per game and also averaged 8.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game vs. the Lakers
- 1968-1969: averaged career-high 28.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game again in a win over the Lakers
- 1973-1974: won Finals MVP with 26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in a hard-fought seven-game victory vs. a Milwaukee Bucks team led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson
Havlicek’s final title came in 1975-1976, though by then he was more of a complementary piece to stars Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White rather than the centerpiece.
As for Pippen, he made the playoffs in 16 of his 17 NBA seasons (the lone exception being his final season return to Chicago) and was part of all six Bulls title teams in the 1990s. During the first three-peat, he averaged over 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists per game while also playing elite defense in each Finals victory:
- 1990-1991: 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game vs. Magic Johnson and the Lakers
- 1991-1992: 20.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game vs. Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers
- 1992-1993: 21.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game vs. future teammate Barkley and the Phoenix Suns
From an individual perspective, Pippen averaged a career-high 22.8 points per game in the 1993-1994 playoffs (when Jordan was playing baseball), but is perhaps best remembered for infamously refusing to enter the closing seconds of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks when the potential game-winning shot was called for rookie Tuni Kukoc instead of him; Kukoc ended up making the shot for the win. During the Bulls’ second three-peat (a win vs. the then-Seattle SuperSonics and two consecutive titles against the Karl Malone and John Stockton-led Utah Jazz), Pippen continued to be a strong complement to Jordan, who would win Finals MVP in all six of Chicago’s championship runs.
Internationally, Havlicek was “only” an alternate on the aforementioned legendary US Basketball Team at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome as a collegian; meanwhile, Pippen played on both the original 1992 Dream Team in Barcelona and the 1996 Dream Team III at the Atlanta Summer Olympics, cruising to gold medals each time.
Playoff Statistics
| John Havlicek | Player | Scottie Pippen |
| 172 | Games Played | 208 |
| 22.0 | Points | 17.5 |
| 6.9 | Rebounds | 7.6 |
| 4.8 | Assists | 5.0 |
| 43.6% | Field Goal % | 44.4% |
| 83.6% | Free Throw % | 72.4% |
| 17.5 | PER | 18.4 |
| 19.3 | Win Shares | 23.6 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; this is evidenced by Havlicek’s complementary role towards the end of his career, as well as Pippen’s later years in Houston and Portland. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| John Havlicek | Player | Scottie Pippen |
| 1965-1975 | Decade of Dominance | 1989-1999 |
| 798 | Games Played | 731 |
| 22.9 | Points | 19.2 |
| 7.1 | Rebounds | 7.2 |
| 5.6 | Assists | 5.9 |
| 44.2% | Field Goal % | 48.1% |
| 82.6% | Free Throw % | 70.3% |
| 18.4 | PER | 20.4 |
| 94.5 | Win Shares | 98.1 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Across their decades of dominance, the same comparison points still hold – Havlicek was the better scorer, but Pippen was the more efficient shooter and averaged slightly more rebounds and assists per game. The advanced metrics favor Pippen, as he has both a higher PER and an edge in Win-Shares despite playing fewer games over the respective time periods.
My Thoughts
Despite often being overshadowed by legendary players on championship teams, both John Havlicek and Scottie Pippen are giants of the game in their own right. Even though he was the original sixth man, Havlicek was by no means only the sixth best player on his Boston teams – as a scoring dynamo who could also rebound, pass, and play tenacious defense, he stands in the pantheon of Celtics greats as an all-time top five Celtic (potentially as high as third behind Russell and Bird). Meanwhile, Pippen was perhaps a precursor to today’s do-it-all superstars and during the couple of seasons when Jordan was hacking away at baseballs in the minors, proved that he was indeed one of the best players in the game in his own right; without his selfless contributions to the Bulls beyond scoring as the Robin to Jordan’s Batman, the Bulls would perhaps not be remembered today as an all-time great dynasty. Between the two, though Pippen may have been slightly more versatile, Havlicek won more rings, was the more lethal scorer (he is Boston’s all-time leading scorer), and quite simply, more often the Celtics’ best player on the court (as evidenced by his All-NBA selections and Finals MVP award).
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
John Havlicek
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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