NBA Legend Scottie Pippen on Passing the Torch to Son Scotty Jr.: 'The Journey's Just Beginning'

Despite an unusually rainy L.A. day, Scottie Pippen couldn't stop smiling while casually shooting hoops earlier this month.

That's because the former NBA superstar's son, Scotty Jr., was playing alongside him, just days before the 21-year-old embarks on his own professional basketball career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

And the grinning dad — and NBA Hall of Famer — is ready to pass the torch on to his son.

"I'm very proud of him," the 56-year-old tells PEOPLE. "As a father, I can't continue to lead or guide him on the court. At some point, I took my own wings and went and he will do the same."

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Scottie, though, has left quite the shoes to fill for the soon-to-be Laker. First drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1987, the small forward spent 12 seasons with the team, helping them rack up six championship titles. The two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist then joined the Houston Rockets for a year, before ending his career with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2008.

As Scottie grew his family with ex-wife Larsa Pippen, whom he married in 1997 and had four children with along with Scotty Jr. — Preston, 20, Justin, 17, and Sophia, 13 (he also has four kids from other relationships) — he worried about balancing parenting with young kids with the travel-heavy life of an NBA star.

"It was tough," Scottie says. "I didn't want to do it at first."

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And because he was so young, Scotty Jr.'s memories of his father's playing days are vague.

"I don't really remember too much of it because he retired when I was about five," Scotty Jr. says. "I remember going to the gym, the Bulls facilities and going to the games, but most of my memories of his career are based off watching his highlights on YouTube with my little brother."

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Growing up watching his father be a superstar was fun, Scotty Jr. says, though he always just thought of the Bulls forward as a regular dad.