Justin Pippen, the youngest son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, announced he will play college basketball next season at Michigan. The 6-foot-4 senior point guard from Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth, Calif.) was one of the fastest risers as a high school senior and chose the Wolverines over Cal, Florida, Texas A&M and Stanford.
“I'm really excited about heading to Michigan,” Pippen told Yahoo Sports. “It's a great program and the new coaching staff is all on the same page and telling me I can come in right away and make an impact.”
After being Sierra Canyon's leading scorer all season, Pippen has received interest from several Division I programs from around the country and has taken visits to UC Santa Barbara, Texas A&M and a recent visit to Michigan last weekend.
“It was a great visit, getting to see the campus and meet the coaches,” Pippen said. “They just told me to keep working and love the way I see the field and we'll come in and make a statement next year in the Big Ten.”
Last summer, Pippen did not play on any major AAU team or circuit. Instead, he was in the gym with his older brother, Scottie, who played three years at Vanderbilt and led the SEC in scoring (20.4 points per game) his senior year, and was not drafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers. For two seasons before the Memphis Grizzlies picked him up. He was also in the gym with the Pippen brothers at times over the summer over Kenyon Martin Jr., Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Kevin Durant.
“I feel like my brother has definitely increased my work ethic,” Justin Pippen said. “Just being in the gym with him and other pros this summer, and with my dad as well. He's telling me to get up every day and start working.”
Pippen finished his high school career at Sierra Canyon, where he played alongside the four-star guard Isaiah Elohim. Pippen also played with Bronny James for three years before James committed to USC as well as Amari Bailey, who was a star freshman at USC before being drafted in the second round by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023 NBA Draft.
“Every year, I benefited from these players' games and tried to improve, especially on the defensive side because Bronny and Amare were very good with the ball in their hands,” Pippen said.
This is the first major recruiting win for new head coach Dusty May as he also hired six new assistant coaches in finalizing his coaching staff. Pippen continues his father's basketball legacy and will be a freshman to watch next season with how well he plays as a point guard and also shoots threes off the dribble – something he learned from a few of the best players to ever play the game.