The Croatian Sensation
Throughout the off-season, the team at Bulls Confidential is going to reveal our picks for the top 25 best players in Chicago Bulls franchise history. We are measuring overall impact on the organization, community, and how they impacted their team. Follow along on Twitter by searching #BC25.
25. Mickey Johnson
24. Guy Rodgers
23. Orlando Woolridge
22. Charles Oakley
21. Taj Gibson
20. Bob Boozer
19. Elton Brand
18. Ben Gordon
17. Tom Boerwinkle
16. Reggie Theus
15. Toni Kukoc
T-Bone Toni! OK, so maybe nobody else calls him that, but I do. One of my favorite Bulls from the championship era, Toni Kukoc was in many ways a player ahead of his time; a sweet shooting, position-less combo forward before being a sweet shooting and position-less combo forward was cool. The Croatian sensation was a clutch time fiend, a beloved teammate, and winner of the 1996 Sixth Man Of The Year award.
Kukoc’s list of overseas accolades span far and wide, but it wasn’t until the 1993–94 season that his NBA career began. Coming in three years after being drafted with the 59th overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft, Kukoc was initially tasked with helping fill the void of Michael Jordan’s departure via retirement. He began playing off the bench behind the fearsome forward tandem of Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. He impressed, earning a berth on the All Rookie Second Team, moving into the starting lineup the following year after Grant’s departure. However, it wasn’t until Michael Jordan rejoined the team that Kukoc’s potential was truly unlocked.
Moving back to the bench, Kukoc played the super-sixth man role for the (at the time) record setting 72–10 team. Mobile even at 6’10”, he operated well in switching lineups like alongside Harper, Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman. He was a versatile scorer that could hit shots from any area of the floor, and shot over 40 percent from deep during his Sixth Man of the Year campaign. But his true talent was as a playmaker, where Phil Jackson had him often bringing the ball up and initiating the triangle offense. Peep this magnificent save and behind the back transition pass to Jason Caffey:
Another one of Kukoc’s defining features was his self confidence. “I thought those three years when we won championships, I really was good enough to play in the All-Star game,” he recalled in a retrospective interview with Sam Smith. I felt I deserved to be in the top whatever that would be, the top 20-some players in the league. Really felt that comfortable and confident on the basketball court.” It was that confidence that led to his reputation as a clutch time player; famously, Phil Jackson drew up a play for him at the end of a tight playoff game vs. the Knicks, in which Scottie Pippen infamously asked out of the play in frustration. Kukoc, of course, nailed the shot.
Toni’s illustrious Chicago career came to a close when he was deemed too talented for the tanking 1999–2000 team, and he was dealt to Philadelphia. He’s always held a special place in his heart for Chicago, however, continuing to live in the area during his final years with the Milwaukee Bucks and signing on as Special Advisor to Team President Michael Reinsdorf in 2015. His impact is not lost on any faithful Chicago basketball fan, and he’s more than worthy of being named Bulls Confidential’s #15 Bull of all time.
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