Toni Kukoc is widely considered one of the most important European players in NBA history. While the league has had superstars from Europe like Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Vlade Divac, Kukoc was one of the first to make the jump from Europe and find success in the NBA.
Kukoc was initially drafted in 1990 by the Chicago Bulls but didn’t actually join the team till 1993, as he was completing a stint in Europe. Kukoc became a primary figure for the Bulls, as his arrival coincided with Michael Jordan going into retirement to pursue baseball.
Kukoc, Jordan, and Pippen had a shaky history even before playing together. When Kukoc was drafted by Bulls GM Jerry Krause, Scottie Pippen felt insulted by it, as Krause was refusing to renegotiate his contract, now that he had reached All-Star status.
As for Jordan, he had a general dislike for Krause and wanted to teach him a lesson. So during the 1992 Olympics, Jordan, Pippen, and Team USA faced off against Toni Kukoc and Croatia. Led by Kukoc, Croatia were expected to be the newly-formed Dream Team’s stiffest competition.
In an effort to humiliate Krause, Jordan and Pippen targetted Kukoc and played intense defense on him. Kukoc would have a terrible game, and Team USA would walk away victorious.
They would face Kukoc and Croatia in the gold medal game. And while Kukoc had a much better performance, Jordan and Pippen walked away with the gold medal for Team USA.
But apparently, them targeting Kukoc did not harbor any ill-will. In fact, in a recent documentary about Toni Kukoc, he and his wife revealed (7:41 mark) that he was still a huge Bulls fan and a fan of Jordan and Pippen. Toni even cut short his own wedding to be able to see Jordan and the Bulls take on the Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals.
Renata: “I know how much he loved Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and watching the Bulls. I mean, even on our wedding night…”
Toni: “The night we were getting married, I said, ‘We guys can party till 3 o’clock. And then there’s a game against Phoenix on TV. So, that’s when we’ll all go home…”.
Kukoc eventually joined Pippen a few months later in Chicago. And by 1995, he would get the chance to play with Michael Jordan, as he returned to the Bulls. The trio would go on to win 3 NBA championships together.
This past year, Kukoc was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame. He was presented by Michael Jordan. He even thanked Jordan and Pippen in his speech for their encounter in Barcelona and their time spent as teammates in Chicago.
Kukoc has always spoken highly of Scottie and Michael. He even called Pippen his favorite teammate of all time. As for Jordan, he has described how important MJ’s influence was on his own career.
Kukoc will always be remembered as a trailblazer, a player who helped open the door for European players to enter the NBA and become very successful in the league. And he got the chance to play on the greatest team of all time while being a key contributor for them too.
