Pippen salutes teamates in Hall speech

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Scottie Pippen thanked Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson for their roles in his career as he joined them as a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Chicago Bulls great called Jackson the "greatest coach of all time" and said Jordan was a major reason he had made it to the hall.

"It was so valuable to me as a player to see someone who had the same desire, determination, passion and love for the game," Pippen said of Jordan.

Pippen thanked a lot of people in his eight-minute acceptance speech in Springfield, Mass., including his family, high school coach and several other members of the Bulls teams that won six NBA championships during the 1990s, the Chicago Tribune said Saturday.

He said winning those titles was what made him proudest, particularly the first trophy in 1991. "When you're with your teammates for so long and so many years and you have that one common goal and you finally achieve it, it's definitely much more special to me," he said.