Scottie and Justin Pippen Attend Ohio State Football Spring Game With Jake Diebler
Scottie Pippen and his son Justin Pippen attended Ohio State football's spring game alongside head coach Jake Diebler on Saturday at The Shoe. Justin recently announced his commitment to transfer to Ohio State for next season.
Ohio State has Scottie's seal of approval, as he joined Justin on campus for his official visit.
"It's good to be a part of the Buckeye family," Scottie said. "I'm very excited. I like the atmosphere here, the facilities, everything. It's just been a great visit so far."
Scottie was one of the stars of the day, joking that it had been a while since he'd handled that many interviews. He also caught up with Ryan Day on the field pregame.
Ohio State will be Justin's third school in his collegiate career. He spent his freshman season at Michigan in 2024–25, appearing in 28 games. He broke out during his sophomore season at Cal, where he averaged 14.2 points per game.
Scottie and Justin Pippen were at Ohio State's spring game today pic.twitter.com/TlOJIGc8ev
- Hanna Williford (@hanna_williford) April 18, 2026
As Justin stood alongside his dad on the sidelines, he credited him for his involvement in his basketball career. "He's a big part of my recruitment," he said. "Just for him to be here and see where I'm going to be playing next year has been cool."
Justin got a solid preview of Buckeye fandom as 40,000 fans filled The Shoe for the spring game.
"It's exciting," Justin said about the football game-day experience. "It's a great atmosphere. I'm looking forward to being here next year and just being able to play in front of all these fans."
This weekend's visit was the first chance for Justin to get to know his future teammates, including transfer Andrija Jelavić, who was in attendance at the game. Jelavić is a 6'11" former Kentucky forward who shot 67.5% from the field and averaged 5.5 points per game during his freshman season. The only returning player who joined Diebler and the newcomers on the sidelines was center Ivan Njegovan.
Despite a nearly brand-new roster, the group appears to be building chemistry and trending in the right direction.
"It's been great," Justin said about getting integrated with the team and head coach Jake Diebler. "I met all of the team last night and they're all cool. We all got along so I'm definitely looking forward to it."
As the roster continues to come together, Justin is set to be a key piece in Ohio State's new-look lineup next season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ohiostate as Scottie and Justin Pippen Attend Ohio State Football Spring Game With Jake Diebler.
Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 2:30 PM.