"He was one of those forgotten soldiers" - Scottie Pippen believes John Paxson was crucial in starting the Bulls dynasty originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Michael Jordan understandably gets most of the credit for the Chicago Bulls ' first NBA championship in 1991. However, Scottie Pippen once reflected on that historic run and shared that the title wasn't just about MJ's brilliance.
According to Pippen, Chicago's first championship was a result of collective effort, which included the contributions of the team's role players. Pip acknowledged Bulls point guard John Paxson among those players.
Pip considers Paxson as one of the Bulls' unsung heroes. Some fans may no longer remember him, but his former teammate will always remember him as one of the players who helped build the Bulls dynasty.
"Being a player who relies on getting open and making shots, it was sort of his time," Pippen once said of Paxson's performance in the '91 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers .
"John stepped up and played the role we knew he was capable of playing," he continued. "And he played it perfectly… It was a great moment for John because he was one of those forgotten soldiers on our team. He wasn't quite the point guard; he was sort of a shooting guard who didn't get a lot of shots that he should have gotten."
Pip made a good point in emphasizing Paxson's role in the Bulls ' championship victory over the Lakers in 1991. He played well throughout the series, especially in Game 5, when he hit most of the open looks he got throughout the game.
Paxson scored a total of 20 points that night, 10 of which came in the game's final four minutes to help the Bulls close the series out with a 108-101 win. While the 6'2" guard undeniably played a pivotal role in the Bulls' first NBA title, he firmly believes that Pippen truly deserves the credit for it.
For Paxson, Pippen's remarkable defense on Magic Johnson made everything possible for the Bulls in that series. With Pippen locking down Johnson, the Bulls capitalized on their advantages in matchups, and the Lakers failed to come up with an answer.
"Magic was good and he wasn't going to turn it over a lot, but Scottie made him work to get the ball up the floor," Paxson once reflected . "He had a long, athletic guy on him to disrupt his passes into the post and around."
"It allowed us to do some things," he added. "I got to stay home on Byron Scott. It allowed Bill Cartwright to battle with Vlade Divac. Horace was able to roam a little and find his way, while Michael, being off the ball, was able to gamble at times and get into the passing lanes… We found something that really disrupted their tempo."
Pippen indeed gave Magic a lot of problems throughout that series. As for Paxson, the '91 Finals weren't the only time he helped the Bulls win the chip.
Two years later, the Bulls were aiming to secure their first three-peat in their Finals showdown with the Phoenix Suns . They were looking to close the series out in Game 6 and Paxson made it happen by knocking down a game-winning 3-pointer late in the game.
No matter what Pippen or other Bulls players think of Paxson, he would always be remembered as a role player who always delivered.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
