Former Cal G Justin Pippen, son of Scottie, transferring to Ohio State after starting career at Michigan

Following a breakout season at Cal, Justin Pippen is headed back to the Big Ten, this time joining Ohio State. Pippen, a son of six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and brother of Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr., announced his decision on Instagram Friday.

The 6-foot-3 combo guard began his college career at Michigan, where he logged limited minutes across 28 appearances as a freshman in the first year of the Dusty May era. He’s the latest player to experience both sides of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. Notably, Roddy Gayle Jr. — a spark plug off the bench for the 2025-26 Wolverines national title team — spent his first two seasons with the Buckeyes before heading north to finish out his college career under May.

Becoming an All-ACC honorable mention for a 22-win Cal team that made the NIT, Pippen averaged 14.2 points, 4.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. He shot only 37% from the field, but he clocked out with a 32.7% clip from beyond the arc while averaging 1.7 long-range makes an outing.

Pippen was tied for second on the team in scoring average, and he led the group in assists and steals. Actually, his 1.9 steals per game were good for third most of any ACC player this season.

Pippen, who played his high school ball at Los Angeles’ Sierra Canyon, registered 19 or more points six times last season at Cal. He hit that mark exactly, in addition to dishing out five assists, during a Jan. 17 win over North Carolina. He scored a season-high 24 points in a Feb. 25 victory against SMU.

Jake Diebler and Ohio State will welcome his two-way impact after the departure of forward Devin Royal, who was the third-leading scorer and top rebounder on a Buckeyes team that returned the program to the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years.