NBA: 30 greatest international players in league history
Greatest international NBA players of all time: 18. Toni Kukoc
Toni Kukoc’s arrival in the NBA was not like most. Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause had publicly fawned over the Croatian Sensation during the team’s multiple title-runs, drawing the ire of superstars Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
The dynamic duo famously sought out to shut down Kukoc during the 1992 Olympics as a statement to Krause. He was held to just four points on 2-of-11 shooting in a 33-point loss to the U.S., joined at the hip by two of the best and most tenacious defenders in the league at that point in time.
It was for all this intrigue surrounding him that fans were pegged with curiosity when Kukoc finally decided to make the jump to the NBA in the summer of 1993, three years after being drafted. Chicago was coming off its third championship in as many seasons but had just lost MJ to an unexpected retirement. It was the perfect chance for Kukoc to step right in and show the world what the hoopla was all about.
By year two, Kukoc had become a valuable contributor, fluctuating time spent between the second-unit and starting lineup. Crafty with the ball in his hands, he was a playmaking forward who could step out and knock down outside shots. In Phil Jackson’s famous Triangle Offense, the ability to read and react was crucial.
When Jordan made his comeback, Kukoc inevitably took somewhat of a backseat in the pecking order offensively, but it helped put his game more on the national stage. With MJ back, the Bulls were back to championship contention and would go on to qualify for three consecutive NBA Finals.
In a hair under 30 minutes a night, he averaged 12.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists a game while shooting 37.0 percent from downtown during those three Finals. His production is what helped Chicago complete its second three-peat of the decade.
Across seven seasons in the Windy City, Kukoc would average 14.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, even winning Sixth Man of the Year in 1995-96. Had he been the go-to option on a team, his numbers may have been gaudier, but in playing a sizeable role on three championship teams, he seemed to have done just fine.