Counting Down Cal's Top-50 Transfer Athletes: No. 29 Justin Pippen

The transfer portal era in college athletics seems like it’s been with us forever. Likewise, most fans can recall less turbulent times when transfers happened, they simply didn’t look like a stampede to the 1849 California Gold Rush.

We thought it was time to rank the best transfers Cal teams have attracted, most of them in recent seasons but also including a few OGs from yesteryear.

We limited our ranking to transfers from four-year colleges.

Here is the next athlete in our countdown:

29. Justin Pippen

Sport: Basketball

Arrival year at Cal: 2025-26

Previous school: Played at Michigan as a freshman in 2024-25 (1.6 points per game in 6.7 minutes)

Contributions at Cal:

— The 6-foot-3 sophomore won the starting point guard job and played alongside fellow transfer Dai Dai Ames, giving the Bears a potent backcourt.

— The son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen averaged 14.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, was eighth in the ACC in assists (4.6) and third in the ACC in steals (1.91).

— A year after he scored more than seven points just once for Michigan, Pippen reached double digits 26 times for the Bears, including three games of at least 20 points.

— Pippen handed out five assists or more 16 times, with a best of eight to go with 17 points in an 86-85 victory at Miami, where he had four points and two assists in the final 5 minutes of a back-and-forth game.

— Pippen’s stay at Cal lasted just one year as he announced he would make a return to the Big Ten Conference with a transfer to Ohio State.

Standout performance: Pippen delivered a cluch, gritty effort in Cal’s 73-69 win over SMU on Feb. 25, helping lift the Bears to their 20th victory of the season. He shot just 2 for 10 from 3-point range, but was 6 for 9 from inside the arc and made 6 of 7 free throws. He also had four rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Bears denied the Mustangs in their quest for a 20th win.

Impact on his team: Despite having played very little in his only previous college season while at Michigan, Pippen gave the Bears a generally consistent, steadying hand at point guard. He helped steer the team to a 22-13 record — the program’s highest win total since 2017 — and to a berth in the NIT, the team’s first post-season bid since 2016.

Previously on our list:

No. 30. Fardaws Aimaq

No. 31. Chris Richards

No. 32. Thomas Kilgore

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