i think that's a bit farfetched, bc toni had opportunities but was a little inconsistent; dirk's jumper was much more consistent and he was even taller than toni. however, toni def. would have been much better, that's for sure. and could have averaged 18-20 for his career, i guess.
Maki Roll Toni did not have the same chances. If you play together with MJ and Pippen then you don not have enought ball. After they went from Chicago at age 31 he had 19 point, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Toni was better passer than Dirk and he was quicker.
@@DB-li9dy i know, and i totally agree. but that's also what i'm saying: he would have averaged 18-20 for his career. yes, he was a much better passer, and quicker, that's also damn true. but dirk's jump shot was too lethal, esp. his one-legged fadeaway. that jump-shot alone was enough to carry the mavericks. and since he was 7foot, it was like some other incarnation of kareem, who only had one move but one which was unblockable. on top of that dirk was very efficient, nearly 90% free throw for his career; toni only has a low 70% and never was very close to 80%. his 3p% is also not too good. but: those %-things are independent of the chances you get and with whom you play: u want to be respected, make at least your free-throws.
@@makiroll9960 dirk's FG was 47% vs tony's 45%, dirk's FT 88% vs tony's FT 73%. Statswise tony's behind only in FT, overall he's better player, i've no doubt
Well, many teams tried to sign up Tony. He decided to play with MJ&Scottie, win titles on the big stage, and wasn’t all too interested in stats. He was a grown man, made an informed choice, doubt that he has second thoughts about it these days.
@@roxxylala26 He was implying that there's too little of Kukoč in the documentary. They even erased him from the poster and put Kerr in there. Disgraceful behavior.
@@intersanctum Again for the peanut gallery back there..🗣ITS MJ DOCUMENTARY..LOL Nuff said. Btw I heard they put "Kerr" instead of Kukoc or Harper because they were trying to reach the younger generation who don't know anything about the MJ ERA & connect them with Kerr & GSW.
That game-winner by Toni, then Hue Hollins gives NY a game right back in game-5. Toni still has a figurative Key to the City for that shot, against NY of all teams.
I grew up watching Toni Kukoc winning the 3peat with Jugoplastica. He was 19, 20 and 21 y.o at that time. He was also part (and the big attraction I would dare to say) of the great Yugoslavia national team. I have to say this. Maybe the new guy (Luca Doncic) is unbelievably amazing, but Toni was really something else. If he had arrived to the NBA in a similar age like Luka (and perhaps in a different team), NBA would have seen the real Toni. And I think that's what the rest of the world is missing in knowing about Toni. From a great fan of Toni Kukoc from Greece
Tono Kukoc was one of my favorite NBA players in the 90s. Nothing but wonderful memories about Kukoc. Watching him play the game of Basketball was a pure joy. Senegal, West Africa.
I think that Jordan and Pippen were very childish and immature brats back then. Blaming everything on Krause. To me Kukoc was a more elegant player than Scottie.
@@Realthinx True rings are important, but they don't necessarily define how good a player is or was..Along with Karl Malone being the second highest scorer in NBA history, look at John Stockton. He was an incredible player and played for 19 years. Leader in assists and rebounds. That holds its own water.
@@Realthinx your comment makes no sense - he never mentioned elegance wins rings what he stated is that Pippen IS a cry baby (which he was) 👶 and Kukoc actually couldn't care less at what Jordan and Pippen thought about him. That is WHY he was good fit!
@@katdeluxy9608 sure...same for ginobili...yes, no?..i mean the best european basketball player ever petrovic was benched in portland... Kukoc was 30years old in 98...for a 210cm athlete thats old...
@D G ya he was better and quick with less weight but that was in his role as a playmaker and point guard type. They put him as a forward and that wasn't his position and had him add weight and that may have been a help in that role but overall his role in Chicago messed up how great he could have been.
Kukoc is my most favourite player in Bulls during that time for being a selfless player. People undermined him for being a player from a war torned country and thought he wasn't good enough. He proved to be a team player and a significant figure for the success during that era.
3× NBA champion (1996-1998) NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1996) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1994) FIBA World Championship MVP (1990) FIBA EuroBasket MVP (1991) FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991) 5× Euroscar Player of the Year (1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998) 4× Mister Europa Player of the Year (1990-1992, 1996) 3× EuroLeague champion (1989-1991) 3× EuroLeague Final Four MVP (1990, 1991, 1993) EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer (1990) FIBA European Selection (1991) 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) Italian League champion (1992) Italian Cup winner (1993) 4× Yugoslav League champion (1988-1991) 2× Yugoslav Cup winner (1990, 1991) 3× Croatian Sportsman of the Year (1989-1991) Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport (1992) Tony carear
S**t loads of players were inducted in the HOF before him with a ridicule CV on their shoulders. U know 'americans'. Humble enough to step back because of MJ's ego and made the CB greatest team to ever played the game. I die laughing at comments saying 'underrated', come on man u didn't even know Toni to post that. Love from Barcelona (Spain) to our croatian friends. Even if Toni won those 3 consecutive titles over Barcelona. We deserved them, we just were on the way of the greatest team of all time in Europe. Jugoplastika. Ipse dixit.
Kukoc was the most intelligent and technically most advanced player in Chicago Bulls. He didn't get deserved attention for the reason of the NBA policy at that time - don't let Europeans be the best. If he'd had a half of opportunity like Dirk Nowitsky later, he would have been number one just like him as Dirk wasn't one third of Toni's quality altogether.
I want to mention that if you had watched all or most of his games, you might notice that some games he played as what they had planted him to play, lowering his skills and just be a role player, and not scoring himself although it was very obvious that he could. And when the Bulls were in a bad situation like they were losing way behind, they would call him out, and he would explode off the bench and just kept attacking the basket, even Jordan and Pippen would also try to pass him the ball to shoot. It was like the style he played back in Europe. So what I think is that, maybe it was possible that Phil gave him the license to kill when Bulls was on a losing side and told Toni to play like what he used to play back in Europe , and that's why sometimes I watched him scored 24 pts in 23 mins. Toni had left the greatest gift for many players, the welcoming door for other European players entering NBA. Had he had the privelege that others have, he could have show us more of his skills and damages he could have done to other teams. I think Dirk was great but I would pick Toni, cos I just think Toni played more tactical and more beautiful when he had the freedom to do so.
@@panther7681 Great observation, can't agree more. Following both NBA and Euro league back in those days could say it was obvious that European players were intentionally prevented of having the lead role even if they were better than the others like Toni. Actually, he had a height of a center but could play any roll in the field better than the others including a position of a play maker. That's why some super players like Oscar Schmidt or Dejan Bodiroga never came to play in NBA as they didn't want to agree on fraud and humiliation.
@@milosobrenovic1241 True, and they staying back in Europe I think maybe was better because European players back then, were not honoured the same way when entering NBA. If Toni were in this era, many teams would be eyeing him like a hawk. He was a 6ft 10/11 who had great game vision, who could dribble, shoot, pass, dunk, not to mention his killer 3pt shot. And though, there are currently many good European players that are well known in NBA, I always think that Toni was much better, it was just that they never really gave him the chance to show his talents. There were so many times that he helped create the play, and made the score moved, but were also overlooked because Americans only read stats...plus, Toni was just some tall white dude to them back then. So no matter how good he was, he would never be treated any better than their own. For me, I really enjoyed Toni playing with Jugo, Benetton, and national team, because I like the classic basketball games, and Toni was a classic player. And actually, that was how basketball supposed to be played; tactical and as a team.. 😫I missed those time..
Toni was ahead of his time. If he came to NBA now, he would totally fit in. Luka Dončić is a modern Toni Kukoc. If Kukoc came now and be allowed to run a team, he would be like Luka. He would easily avg 23 pt, 7 reb, 8 ast a game. He actually avg 18 pt, 7 reb and 5 ast the season after the 3 peat when he was already 30.
Luka is one of the most talented players in the world at the moment. Toni Kukoč was the most talented European players I ever seen. Toni was basically Durant before Durant.
Mr. Pikachu Travel.Do you think if the the Bulls had Luka Doncic they would not have won the championship the two years Mj was in retirement. Also, not to downplay the special skills that Toni Kukc had but average player could have average 18 point on the teams and Lucka could have average aleast 25 pt on that team.
@@bw1190 You can't compare the then and modern NBA, primarily from the perspective of European players. At that time, there was a common opinion that European players "don't play defense" and that they are soft, and no matter how good they were, it was very difficult for them to get such freedom in the game. Dražen Petrović was the European Michael Jordan, he could score as much as he wanted against ANY rival (not even MJ could shut him down), but when he came to Portalnd in 1989, he was nailed to the bench, and he got minutes in the garbage time. Only the next generation of Europeans (Dirk, Stojaković, Gasol) gained the full trust of American coaches to show what they know.
@@markomarkovic5729 I will give you that argument about the then and now and about European Players not being able to be the face of a franchise as oppose to now, but their was a reason why he was not a regular stater in the league other than being a European Player. For example, you had Vlade Divac, Sarunas Marcilionis, Drazen Petrovic(RIP), Dino Raja, and Arvydas Sabonis who all might not had the special talent that Toni Kukoc had but they were all starters in the league and most likely would have been on any of those Bulls championnship teams . Also, you might not agree, but I think those guys(barring injuries) would of has more impact than Kukoc than on the Bulls success.
Kukoc is my most favourite NBA player of all time. Not only he is a very nice snd humble guy, his many skills on court and his calm demeanor are on point. Kukoc had saved many games during crunched times but Naismith hof doesn't seem to recognise that and thst is bs. Without Kukoc, I doubt Bulls could win some of those many games that are important in persuing the championship. Yao Ming and some others are on hof wtf. (Most likely influenced by endorsers). Kukoc deserves wayyy more than some of those people. But what can I say, it is what it is. For me, Kukoc is my number one! And Bulls that era was the American dreamteam in its own right!
Looking back at Toni, I see a lot of similarities with Jokic. Both can "read the floor " and make the right play. The more I learn about MJ and Pippin, the more they come across as playground bullies. . .I guess MJ learned that building a team ain't easy. EGOs, much? I' ll take Joker & Toni any day.
The brilliance of Phil Jackson draws a last minute play for his more clutch player. Scottie pippen wants to act like a big baby so Phil says to take a seat on the bench. Toni comes thru with the basket, bulls win.
@@18hot30 the fact that pippen got mad at that point in a game is what made him look bad. The coach calls the play with the guy he trust the most. Pippen was a great player but he wasn't a finisher. Toni carried his game winning shot since his days playing in Europe. So Phil made the right call. Pippen lost alot of respect from his team that day. So go fuck yourself. 🖕🖕🖕
@@18hot30 kind of funny to say that Kukoc messed up the previous play when it was Pippen with the ball, first not passing it to a wide open Kukoc and then taken a terrible shot.
6'10 Kukoc didn't know he had a target on his back. He said he didn't know. Was is fear to treat a future team mate? I don't think. You can say what you want about Tony Kukoc game in Olympics, that he became a victom to the politics. MJ and Pippen personally took on the take of cutting down Kukoc. Kukoc didn't know why the Americans where playing hard on him? MJ and Pippen team mates didn't know why MJ and Pippen where playing so hard on the younger player. It was reveid on this documentary that it was personally but it was way to get back on the management on their team. That's not fair!!!
Kukoc great guy overall. Getting dogged in the Olympics by MJ and Pippen then being one of the guys when he was with the Bulls. That probably took some time. Bulls were so lucky to have Kukoc for their second championship run.
Ivan I agree at 6'10 to play with that much intelligence is unheard of. We used to call him the pink panther back in the day. Kukoc and petrovic were best euro players ever.
i watched `the last dance` episode 7 yestd.; pippen there says he would probably do the same thing again. this frustrates me very much. phil explains very clearly that he knew toni could make the shot bc toni alrdy did it a few times before, during the regular season. so it was a decision for the sake of the team. no one on the bulls ever doubted that pippen was the leader and "franchise"-player during that season. but he just wasnt 'that' guy for 'that' particular situation.. and i cannot believe that until this day he doesnt see it any differently.... he probably would have banged kerr's head had he taken that shot..
Pip was awesome but not the greatest human, his name around the restaurant & bar scene was "no tippin Pippen". He wasn't the sharpest kid either & made well known poor financial decisions. Kind of a prick reputation so no surprise he's not a team first guy but when MJ got back Pip shut up & played great team ball. Some guys just are not cut out to be leaders.
Pippen and Jordan hated to pass the ball to kukoc. They only did so when absoultely necessary...if they had gone a little more out of their way to get him the ball he would have had better numbers. They didn’t like him because he was a White player who at the time was like the “Michael Jordan of Europe” this pissed Michael off because he was like “he aint better than me” but that wasn’t the point. I feel like Jordan and Pippen looked at all the White players on the team as if they were lucky to even be allowed to play.
@@drh2098 That comment is pretty absurd, considering the Bills were surrounded by white players and Jordan passed the ball to guys like Paxson and Kerr to win championship games. The Bulls ran a triangle and continuously were at the top of the league in team assists. The Warriors style of offense and their ‘death lineup’ has their origins in the Bulls play, because of Kerr with Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc and Harper. And It’s like Jalen Rose said in regards to the Bulls, it’s not who starts the game, it’s whose on the floor in those last five minutes or so. That is where basketball is won. The nature of scoring in the 90s, because of the rules, was either through the SG or Center.
Pippen had a few tantrums over the years, Jordan did also but usually acknowledged his mistake. Kukoc was overly polite & overlooked, but he is a Hall of Fame candidate for certain.
Thanks for the coverage of Kukoc. Didn't know this about him and the inside story is always good. I played sports constantly growing up and have said many times "I've always been a sports player, but not a sports fan. Except for the Jordan era Bulls... " 🙂
Let’s not forget in the deciding game of the Bulls first championship Phil asked Mike “ Who s open “ Mike: Paxon Phil: give him the ball Michael did and Paxon hit the first shot Michael imma keep penetrating and give him (Paxon) the ball Michael penetrated. Paxon received and made those crucial shots
Scottie's one of my favorite players, but he handled this poorly. He actually said "Fuck you, Phil." when Jackson made the call, you can find that very easily with a search. Really disappointing. Love the guy, rooted for him back when he played on the Bulls, then Rockets, the Blazers...but he fucked up and I'm sure he'll tell you that himself today.
Hugely underrated player it really hurt when Kukoc was injured shame he never made the hall of fame. I found myself laughing at 9:05 what is with that presenters hair?
those last few minutes of this video shows EXACTLY how much sh*t Toni had to face up (and swallow) trough practically whole of it's NBA career, and why its potential was never even nearly recognized, let alone fully used ! people that look at basketball trough statistic will never understand how great a player Kukoć was! the amount of field control and overview, game intelligence and ability to play almost all positions was insane... may be Dončić is the only player with whole set of similar skills , but he doesn't have to put up with sh*t Toni had, he can just play as much and as best he can... Toni couldn't! Dražen went through similar troubles... and it is really sad they had basically "fight" more against prejudices and even contempt of their own teams than to fight opposing teams on court!
The Kukoc highlights in this vid are great and actually did a great job of highlighting what he could do. The one where Pippen saves the ball and Kukoc pulls up for 3 in transition was 20 yrs ahead of it's time. Also, there aren't 3 guys in the NBA right now who are 6'11 and can pass like that. There were ZERO back then. I used to think the "white Magic/ Euro Magic" nicknames were a little much, but not now. Kukoc was amazing!
@@peroperic1080 Jokic is great. Durant can probably do it and is quicker better off the dribble, but that's my point...there still probably aren't 3 guys that can do what Kukoc could do.
TONI KUKOC was a great addition to that BULLS 2nd 3peat... WitHout TONI I dont see the bulls winning 3... 1 or 2 maaaaaybe. I give Jerry Krause props for that. He also made the trade bet oakley and cartwright... Another lowkey great move. He was just an ass when it comes to who is the boss... He wanted all the accolade... That was his downfall.
I give them 1 without Toni. He took the scoring load off the top 2 guys so they could rest, or when 1 was having a bad game Toni would up his game and make up the difference. He also made a lot of clutch shots in big games.
Krause was the troll that tore down the dynasty with his ego. That said, he also built the dynasty, and sustained it with great acquisitions like Toni.
No, it was Reinsdorf. Because in the end, it was his decision, he owns the Bulls and had the last word. He could have chosen between Krause and Jordan/Pippen/Rodman/Phil but went with Krause. Either didn't care or didn't want to spend money but he had the power to make this team continue, he chose not to.
@@vascoernesto78 Of course -- "the two Jerry's", as MJ referred to them, were both responsible for tearing down the dynasty. They were one in the same. But, Krause, specifically can be summed up with the quote: "He deserved more credit than he got; but he wanted more credit than he deserved."
@@eagletrippin How about Jordan decision to quit both times? didn't that count for anything? plus Rodman was a distraction great on the court but of the court his antics were just to much, and of course the cry baby Pippen wanted to leave because he felt disrespected for not getting his contract changed after he was advised no to sign a long term deal,
I’ve always loved Pippen and considered him level headed. He sure didn’t handle that situation properly. I’m sure he learned a valuable lesson; especially considering Kukoc nailed it.
Samo je s bulsima mogao napredovat jer je imao veliki motiv ,kraj sebe igrace jedan bolji od drugog i jos jordan ,to mu je i davalo motiv bravo Toni dobri
Without Kukoc, 96-98 bulls would have never won 3 championships. Scored a lot of crucial baskets when the heat was on mj and Pip. Anyone who can average 13 point playing with MJ, and 18 post MJ will always be an important piece on any team.
The Croatian Sensation!! Toni Kukoc the greatest and first European player to make an impact on the NBA. The UNstopaBulls! Greatest NBA team of all time. Toni Kukoc was a big and major part of that. Hopefully he makes it to the Hall of Fame. He truly dersves and needs to be there. KUKOC FOR 3!!! THE BULLS WIN THE BULLS WIN!!
The most disrespected player in NBA history! Hands down! Black racism towards European players, black or white on display. Toni is poster of that unspoken problem that has been publicly muted in NBA since Vlade, Sabonis , Toni etc and to this day.
What did he do after Jordan retired from the bulls the second time? He scored 8 points and hit the game winner. What was he doing to only have 8 points in the game?
Really? I think you need to do some research on the history of the pre 1949 NBA before black players were even allowed to play professionally in the Basketball Association of America 1949, then, watch documentaries of the 2 exhibition games between the 1948 and 1949 Harlem Globetrotters and the Minneapolis Lakers with George Mikan, which ultimately led the black players being allowed to play professional basketball in that league, soon thereafter becoming the NBA. Also, do you really think that the Serbians and Croatians really liked and respected black people during those days and before that war? Everyone in New Jersey loved Dražen Petrović back in the day as well as Peja Stojaković of the Sacramento Kings around that time time period and, he would not even speak to Vlade Divac on and off the court when the Croatian - Serbian war taking place (also, the Croatian Government was committing genocide against the Croatian-Serbs during 1992-1995; they were waging an ethnic cleansing campaign), so, you really need to stifle that racist noise bullshit. Detlef Schrempf, Rick Smits, Šarūnas Marčiulionis were all well respected NBA players in 1980s-90s Sabonis was just a little too old when he entered the league and the NBA was a much harder and more aggressive league in those days. You have totally missed the point with respect to the Pippen-Kucoc-Jerry Krause issue.
There was a game during the 72 win season where the Bulls were in Atlanta. A rebuilding team at that time but nonetheless the Bulls took an early lead and for some reason MJ was given much of the second half off. Toni in essence ran the team and it was unbelievable. One of the best NBA games I’ve ever witnessed. A total annihilation. Toni in reality was not that dude on a nightly basis. What he was was a uniquely skilled player who like many European guys was fundamentally sound. Something many US based players were not. But he was clutch and a gamer. Bulls don’t win those second three championships without Toni. And a great person also by the way ultimate class.
Seeing the Last Dance documentary and now this I think their was some racism going or it was all about hating players who were brought in by Krause. I saw Kuckoc play in the 90s he was one of the best players in the world back then but he didn get the credit because he played with Jordan and Pippen.
Toni is my all time favourite player. As somebody who grew up in former Yugoslavia, he was one of my childhood sporting heroes. I just loved watching him play. The magical Jugoplastika team that won 3 Euroleagues in a row, unbeatable Yugoslavian team in the late 80's until the war - Toni was always there. I think that Toni is the most talented European basketball player of all time, with only Luka Dončić as a legitimate comparison.
The fact that this is a Jordan documentary shows in how little credit Kukoc gets, Jordan and Pippen were always jealous of the way Krause wanted him on the team and of how much money he got pay specially Pippen in this regard, and that is why he was always treated as a second rate player when he could have been a starter in that team easily.
I think kukoc was never given his chance in the chi because of racism. He even outscored MJ in one of the game in the finals effortless. He is tall can shoot outside, can dribble and pass
