Today, basketball fans take it for granted that international talent is in the NBA. Indeed, much of the best talent in the NBA is now international. Don’t think so? Consider Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama. Basketball has truly become a global game.
Not too long ago though it was not and when the Chicago Bulls drafted Croatian Toni Kukoc in 1990, it didn’t go over well with everyone, not least of all Bulls stars Michael Jordan and Scottie
Pippen, who felt GM Jerry Krause seemed to value his future over their spectacular present.
And in the 1992 Olympics, Jordan and Pippen made it a point to just shut Kukoc down to send a message to Krause and the Bulls.
In the end though, the 6-11 Kukoc turned out to be a spectacular talent in his own right. He could play at least four positions and had point guard instincts. He helped the Bulls win their second threepeat and had some brilliant, memorable plays as you’ll see here.
Ultimately Jordan and Pippen recognized that the guy was a winner and embraced him fully as a teammate. In fact, Jordan and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf presented him when he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021.
