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The 25 Greatest Sixth Men Of All Time

By Carter Johnson

Oct 28, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) reacts after a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) reacts after a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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12. Toni Kukoc, Chicago Bulls

12.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.9 APG, 34.1 3P% in 4 seasons as 6th Man

Accolades: 1X Sixth Man of the Year (1995-96), 3X NBA Champion (1996-98), 1X All-Rookie Second Team (1993-94)

When Toni Kukoc finally came to the Chicago Bulls in 1993, both had already established winning pedigrees. Kukoc was a hero in his native country of Croatia and was widely viewed as the best young player in all of Europe while the Bulls had collected three consecutive NBA championships.

However, the Bulls were a year removed from their third title and a year into Michael Jordan’s first retirement at the time.

Kukoc helped relieve some of the offensive load left by His Airness, become the second fiddle to Scottie Pippen and scoring 10.9 points per game in 24.1 minutes a night. Kukoc even got a chance to show off his clutch capabilities in his rookie year, hitting a game-winner in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals that year (much to Pippen’s chagrin).

After an early playoff exit, Kukoc would finally get his wish to play alongside Jordan when the latter returned from retirement in the midst of the 1994-95 season.  That summer, the Bulls also added former rival Dennis Rodman to the starting lineup, pushing Kukoc to the sixth man spot.

The following season, Kukoc would partner with Jordan and Pippen to form one of the dynamic offensive trios the league has ever seen — and one that would lead the Bulls in a season for the record books.

The Croatian Sensation was the third leading scorer and passer on a team that went on to post the best regular season record in NBA history at 72-10. The spectacular season earned multiple Bulls players league-wide recognition, including Kukoc, who won the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1995-96.

He would contribute heavily off of the bench in the playoffs that year, averaging 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game as the Bulls would earn their fourth championship in franchise history.

Kukoc would play one more season in the sixth man role before being promoted to the starting lineup in the Bulls’ final championship year in 1997-98.

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