Scottie Pippen is planning to return to the National Basketball Association for a chance to win his seventh championship.

The 41-year-old Pippen announced in Las Vegas that he's hoping for a late-season return to a contending team - preferably in a warm-weather city - nearly 2 1/2 years after he left the league.

"I know that I have the skills," Pippen said. "I think it's sort of been on my mind the last couple of months. It's just about me going out and polishing my skills."

Pippen hasn't played since his retirement on Oct. 5, 2004, following a 17-season career with Chicago, Houston and Portland. He won six titles with the Bulls, and was part of two gold medal-winning US Olympic teams.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2007)