Scottie Pippen names current NBA stars he enjoys watching the most: "I'm not really a young star watcher"

Scottie Pippen witnessed the evolution of the game and the rise of talent in the league. With a deep appreciation for the skills and dedication displayed by current stars, Pippen finds it challenging to narrow down his list of favorite players in today's NBA to just three.

In a recent interview with "Front Office Sports," the Hall of Famer revealed that he enjoys watching LeBron James , Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kawhi Leonard the most out of the many admirable present-day NBA stars. However, the Chicago Bulls legend also mentioned that he mainly follows teams rather than individual players.

"I'm not really a young star watcher," Pippen said when asked to name his three favorite players of this era. "I like to watch great teams. So, I'm going to say, Steph Curry. I like watching his team; I don't know if I would love him if he was on a bad team. I live in L.A., so I like watching the Lakers and LeBron, and I guess I'll peek back in on the East and watch the Chicago Bulls play so I can watch all the teams on the East Coast."

"I'm still a fan of the game, so I'll watch any players. I mean, you're making me leave Giannis [Antetokounmpo] out, who's a star, leaving Kawhi out, so you know, there's a lot of great stars in the game. There's not just three that I would watch," he continued.

Scottie's respect for today's NBA

Having played in the league from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, Pippen witnessed three generations of NBA talent. He earned seven All-Star selections in his legendary 17-year NBA run and won six championships alongside Michael Jordan.

That said, many have alluded to the notion that the NBA back then was more competitive and physical. However, Scottie strongly believes playing and excelling in today's NBA is more challenging .

"I think that watching these players, the stamina, the pace of the game, this is a tough game. To keep up with this pace, and you got to be able to make shots, so if you're not making shots, you're going to sit over there with the coach. I think this is a tougher era to be successful in because you need to shoot the basketball," the legendary forward said .

Pip is in for another exciting season

The 2024-25 campaign has officially started, with fans already buzzing about the teams and players to watch out for. Among them is Pippen, who has much to look forward to again this season.

It'll be exciting to see how the historic LeBron and Bronny James father-son duo will pan out in L.A., as well as how far Curry will lead the Golden State Warriors this season, playing without his co-star Klay Thompson. One thing is for sure, though: Pip will be watching.

Related: Scottie Pippen praises LeBron and Bronny's historic feat, says he would've done the same "just for the salaries"