Justin Pippen, the youngest son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, announced on Friday his commitment to play for Michigan.
Justin Pippen, a 6-foot-3 senior guard at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles, also considered Texas A&M, Florida, Stanford and Cal, according to multiple media reports.
Landing the four-star prospect was an early coup for new Michigan coach Dusty May, who is new on the job after being hired to replace Juwan Howard.
“The coaches were great to me,” Pippen said, according to The Athletic. “They showed me a lot of hospitality. They gave me really good pitches. They see me coming in as a player who can impact the floor right away.”
He added in an interview with ESPN, “I like the feel of the campus and school. I wanted to be at a big school. They can help me reach my end goal of making the NBA.”
Justin Pippen’s brother, 23-year-old Scotty Pippen Jr., is a guard for the Memphis Grizzlies. Their father spent most of his Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bulls, teaming with Michael Jordan to win six NBA championships.
“I feel like my brother has increased my work ethic, for sure,” Justin Pippen told Yahoo Sports. “Just being in the gym with him and other pros this summer, and my dad as well. He’s just telling me to wake up every single day and put the work in.”
Justin Pippen was a high school teammate of LeBron James’ son Bronny at Sierra Canyon. According to The Athletic, he averaged 16.5 points and 4.9 assists in his senior season. ESPN reported that Pippen is likely to be listed among the nation’s top 100 prospects when the final list is published, though he wasn’t in that group previously.