Justin Pippen commits to Ohio State: Son of Scottie Pippen, Cal CG returning to Big Ten

Pippen played last season at Cal and is now heading back to the Big Ten after his career started at Michigan

Justin Pippen, the son of NBA legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player Scottie Pippen, has committed to Ohio State, 247Sports reported on Friday. Pippen is coming off a breakout season at Cal in which he averaged 14.2 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 32 games. 

Pippen started all 32 games for the Golden Bears and was their second-leading scorer behind Dai Dai Ames. Pippen, the No. 78-ranked transfer in the 247Sports rankings, is Ohio State's first transfer portal commit of the cycle as the program looks to replace star guard Bruce Thornton and forward Devin Royal, who entered the transfer portal earlier this week.

Last year, Pippen entered the transfer portal days after Michigan defeated Texas A&M in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Pippen entered the portal last year amid the Wolverines' run in the NCAA Tournament because the portal opened before the season ended. 

This year, the transfer portal opened after the final game of the college basketball season between Michigan and UConn.

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As a freshman at Michigan, Pippen appeared in 28 games and averaged 6.6 minutes. Pippen was Dusty May's first high school recruit when he got the job at Michigan during the 2024 offseason. Now, he will be playing for Michigan's rival during the 2026-27 campaign.

Ohio State finished 21-13 during the 2025-26 season and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to TCU. With star guard John Mobley Jr. testing the NBA Draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility, Ohio State can build around a backcourt of Pippen and Mobley to get back to the NCAA Tournament.