A COUPLE OF years ago, Jud Buechler's daughter Reily was walking through Los Angeles International Airport when she spotted one of Buechler's longtime teammates: Scottie Pippen. She texted her father about her celebrity sighting. Her phone rang.
"Reily," Buechler implored his daughter, "turn around right now and introduce yourself. Tell him how thankful you are for what he did for your dad."
She approached Pippen.
"He was great to her," Buechler said. "And for me to tell her that -- it shows how much love I have for that guy."
Love comes up often when former teammates discuss Pippen -- particularly those, like Buechler, who joined the Chicago Bulls during Michael Jordan's brief retirement and remained once Jordan returned.