The son of basketball legend Scottie Pippen was ejected from an NBA game in Miami on Saturday night after launching a furious attack over a perceived cheap shot.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. was knocked to the hardwood by Heat forward Myron Gardner after taking a late 3-pointer in Miami’s 134-113 win.
Incredulous over the lack of the whistle, the 25-year-old rose to his feet and stormed down the court to seek out the unsuspecting Gardner.
Pippen initially looked like he was just going to holler at Gardner as he charged in with his index finger pointed at the 24-year-old journeyman. But the closer Pippen got, the more animated he became, ultimately putting both hands around Gardner’s neck and shoulders before shoving him into the first row at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
Both tumbled to the floor and wrestled around a bit before they were peeled apart and summarily ejected.
‘I wouldn’t consider it wrestling,’ Scotty told reporters in the Grizzlies locker room after the loss. ‘Like I said, I feel like it was just a hug.’
While Scotty Pippen Jr’s teammates played on, he charged at Miami´s Myron Gardner
Scotty Pippen Jr. was removed from the court in Miami after brawling with a Miami player
Scotty Pippen Jr. is pictured alongside his father, Scottie Pippen, at a 2022 high school game
He described the bump be took from Gardner as a ‘cheap shot,’ but did not seem too upset when speaking to reporters about the incident.
‘He kind of hit me from where I didn’t see him, so I thought it was a soft move,’ Scotty said. ‘I just thought he needed a hug at the other end.
‘I thought it escalated a little bit more, people ran up in there, but was just trying to show him some love.’
Both players, as well as some of their teammates, could be subject to fines and suspension from the commissioner’s office.
At 21-34, the Grizzlies have effectively called it quits on the 2025-26 season. The 31-27 Heat, however, are in seventh in the East and can lift themselves out of the postseason play-in tournament by improving to sixth.
The former Vanderbilt guard is the son of Scottie, Michael Jordan’s running mate for six titles with the Chicago Bulls, and Larsa, a former member of Bravo’s ‘The Real Housewives of Miami’ cast.
Now in his fourth NBA season, Scotty had toe surgery back in October and has only recently returned to action for Memphis. For his career, he’s average 10.1 points a game while hitting an impressive 40.2 percent of his 3-point shots.
