INDIANAPOLIS, (Reuters) – Scottie Pippen, a  defensive wizard who played in the shadow of team mate Michael Jordan during the Chicago Bulls’ run to six NBA championships, was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame yesterday.

Joining Pippen in the hall are seven players and two teams, including twice NBA MVP Karl Malone, five-times NBA All-Star  Dennis Johnson and the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team”.

Pippen, a seven-times All-Star, said the honour “gives me credibility” but added that he never felt, despite Jordan’s presence, the Bulls of the 1990s were about individuals.

“I always felt that we were a team, that we all needed each other to be successful,” he told Reuters.

“But that’s not just at the NBA level, that’s at every level that I’ve played at.

“It’s a team game and you have to approach it that way.

Everybody has to do their part and go above and beyond to make  the team successful.”

Hall of Famer Larry Bird, a member of the Dream Team, said: “When you’re playing with Michael (Jordan) you’re going to get overshadowed, but I don’t know if they would have won all those  titles without Scottie.

“He was something special, not just on offense but especially on defense. He was very aggressive, overplayed the passing lanes, rebounded and could score. He did it all.”

The gold medal-winning Dream Team was 8-0 at the Barcelona  Games with a 44-point average margin of victory. Also featuring Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and others, it is widely regarded at the best squad ever assembled.

Also gaining entrance into the Springfield, Mass. hall were the 1960 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, three-times WNBA All-Star Cynthia  Cooper, and New Jersey high school coach Bobby Hurley Sr.

Voted in posthumously along with Johnson were Brazilian  Maciel “Ubiratan” Pereira and five-times All-Star Gus Johnson.

The enshrinement ceremony will be on Aug. 13.