Scottie Pippen was a part of the legendary Chicago Bulls team that won six NBA championships. Michael Jordan was always the star of the show, but Scottie Pippen was one of the most underrated players on that team.
Perhaps most of the glamor he got came in his later years with the Bulls when people started to appreciate his defensive abilities, and he was no slouch on the attack, too.
These are the best Scottie Pippen rookie cards that you can consider buying today.
1988/89 Fleer Scottie Pippen #20 Rookie Card
The 1988 Fleer #20 card is the go-to card when it comes to Scottie Pippen rookie cards. This is the mainstream choice that most card collectors go for. Overall, this Fleer set is perhaps one of the most famous sets in NBA history, featuring rookie cards of players like Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, and some other great players like John Stockton.
About the Card
Like Scottie Pippen himself, this card only became appreciated years after the original release. Initially, Pippen was seen as a huge talent but his defensive abilities weren’t appreciated until a few years down the line.
Today, this is by far the most recognizable rookie card of Scottie Pippen and one of his best cards on the whole. It’s also one of the more popular cards of the 1980s. Even though it doesn’t quite reach the high price of a Michael Jordan rookie card, it’s still up there in terms of popularity.
Scottie Pippen had some cards even earlier in his career, and some are even from 1987. However, those are some oddball cards that weren’t really mainstream back then, which meant that Fleer was automatically considered as a true rookie card.
There’s a great appeal to this card when you look at it. The main appealing factor is certainly the image of Pippen dominating the center, and the 80s look makes it even better for those who like a bit of a retro style with their cards.
On the reverse side of the card, you’ll see everything you’d expect to be there: his stats, data, and other information about the player. There’s a spelling error on the back where instead of Pippen, his surname is spelled as “Pippin”.
Availability and Price
Today, you’ll probably not have too many problems finding a good Fleer Pippen rookie card. There are a lot of PSA 8-graded cards, and you might struggle to get a top-rated card of this type if you’re something of a perfectionist.
However, if you’re willing to accept that your card is not a PSA 10, then you’ll not have any problems getting this one. If you go for the PSA 8, then you are looking at a few hundred dollars worth of card. However, if you go for the PSA 10, then you’re almost certainly sure to have to pay a four-figure sum.
As always, look for some of the conditioning problems if you opt for an ungraded card. The most common issues with this one are some chipping at the corners and general wear-and-tear, which is visible on the surface of the card.
Other Early Scottie Pippen Cards
So the Fleer 1988 card is the official rookie card of Scottie Pippen, but what about some other early cards that you might fancy if you’re looking for something a bit less expensive?