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Toni Kukoč (pronounced[kukotʃ]; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian former professionalbasketball player who serves as special advisor toJerry Reinsdorf, the owner of theChicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of the first established European stars to play in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Kukoč played for four NBA teams between 1993 and 2006, winning theNBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1996.[2] He is a three-time NBA champion, having won championships with the Chicago Bulls in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Nicknamed"the Waiter" and "the Croatian Sensation", Kukoč is renowned for his versatility and passing ability. Although his natural position wassmall forward, the 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Kukoč played multiplepositions and demonstrated court vision and an outside shooting touch that were seldom found in players of his height. He also enjoyed success in international play, winning Olympic silver medals in 1988 (playing for Yugoslavia) and 1992 (playing for Croatia). Kukoč andVassilis Spanoulis are the only players in history to receive theEuroLeague Final Four MVP honor on three occasions.[3] He was elected to theFIBA Hall of Fame in 2017[4] and theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.[5] In 2023, he was selected to be in the inaugural class of the Chicago Bulls' Ring of Honor.[6]
Kukoč grew up inSplit, Croatia. His father was devoted to athletics, having playedfootball as agoalkeeper in a lower ranked local club. Possessing excellentmotor skills, young Toni grew up participating in different sports, includingtable tennis and football. He especially excelled in table tennis as an adolescent, winning different youth category titles.[7] He soon switched to basketball as his sport of choice.
Kukoč began playing for his home town club,KK Jugoplastika, at the age of 17. He achieved significant success during his time with the club, winning the prestigiousEuroLeague as the team recorded three winning year seasons consecutively (1989–1991). His team won theTriple Crown in 1990 and 1991.[8] Kukoč was awarded as theEuroLeague Final Four MVP both times.
Afterwards, he signed forBenetton Treviso in 1991. His contract was worth $23 million for 6 years, making him one of the highest paid players in the world at the time with an average annual salary of $3,8 million.[9] He won theItalian League championship in 1992 and theItalian Cup in 1993. He also played in theEuroLeague final in 1993, winning theEuroLeague Final Four MVP once again. He was nicknamed "the WhiteMagic", "the Spider from Split", "the Pink Panther", "the Waiter", "Euro Magic", and "the Croatian Sensation".[10] Throughout the 1990s, he won several European Basketball Player of the Year Awards.
After being drafted by the NBA'sChicago Bulls in 1990, Kukoč continued to play in Europe, until finally reporting to the Bulls in1993, when the team had just finished its first three-peat and had lostMichael Jordan to retirement. Although disappointed that he could not play with Jordan, Kukoč made his NBA debut on November 5, 1993.[11]
The 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Kukoč came off the bench in1993–94 behindsmall forwardScottie Pippen andpower forwardHorace Grant. On January 21, 1994, in a game against theIndiana Pacers,Reggie Miller made a mid-range jumper with 0.8 seconds remaining to give the Pacers a 95–93 lead.Scottie Pippen inbounded the ball to Kukoc, who hit a three-point jumper at the buzzer to give the Bulls the win, 96–95. Kukoč put up a solid rookie season, averaging double-digit scoring and earning a berth on theNBA All-Rookie Second Team.
On May 13, 1994, at the end of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bulls and theNew York Knicks were tied at 102 with 1.8 seconds left. Bulls coachPhil Jackson designed the last play for Kukoč, withScottie Pippen charged with inbounding the basketball. Pippen was so angered by Jackson's decision to not let him take the potential game-winner that he refused to leave the bench and re-enter the game when the timeout was over. Kukoč did hit the game-winner, a 23-foot fadeaway jumper at the buzzer, though the Bulls eventually lost the series in seven games.
After Grant left in the offseason, Kukoč moved into the starting lineup and finished the1994–95 season second on the Bulls in scoring, rebounds and assists, behind Pippen. Furthermore, Michael Jordan would return to the Bulls in March, fulfilling Kukoč's wish to play alongside him.
For the1995–96 season, the Bulls were bolstered by both Jordan's return to full form and the offseason acquisition of exceptional rebounderDennis Rodman. With Pippen still at small forward, coachPhil Jackson saw it best to have Kukoč continue to be a bench player. Kukoč was third on the team in scoring (behind Jordan and Pippen) and was rewarded for his efforts with theNBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.[12] He also assisted the Bulls to a 25-game turnaround and the best record in league history at the time at 72–10 (later surpassed by the2015–16 Golden State Warriors), as well as the fourth championship in team history. Kukoč was the 4th and is currently the last player to win theNBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and the NBA title in the same year having joinedKevin McHale,Bill Walton, andBobby Jones in accomplishing that feat.
In1997 NBA Finals, the Bulls defeated theUtah Jazz in six games, during which at the end of Game 6, Kukoč received the ball fromScottie Pippen and sealed the victory with a dunk to make the score 90–86 with just 0.6 seconds left. A year later, the Bulls defeated the Jazz again in the1998 NBA Finals. In both series, Kukoč came off the bench as the sixth man, and was the team's leading scorer off the bench.
During the 1998–99 offseason, Jordan retired, Pippen was traded to theHouston Rockets, and Jackson's contract expired and took a break from coaching, effectively breaking up the Bulls' dynasty. Kukoč was the highest-scoring player from the Bulls' previous season that remained with the team.
In the lockout-shortened1998–99 season, he led the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists. OnFebruary 16, 2000 as Chicago continued their rebuilding scheme, Kukoč was traded to thePhiladelphia 76ers in a three-team deal involving theGolden State Warriors that sentBruce Bowen,John Starks and a 2000 first-round pick to the Bulls. The following season, he was dealt to theAtlanta Hawks, along withNazr Mohammed,Pepe Sánchez, andTheo Ratliff, in a blockbuster deal that sentDikembe Mutombo andRoshown McLeod to the 76ers.
After a short stint with the Hawks, he was traded to theMilwaukee Bucks, along withLeon Smith, in a deal forGlenn Robinson. During the2003 NBA Playoffs, Kukoč averaged postseason career-highs of 14.8 points and 2.2 steals per game during a six game first round loss to the eventual Eastern Conference championNew Jersey Nets.[13] On September 12, 2006, Kukoč announced that he would retire from professional basketball if he could not be signed by either theMilwaukee Bucks or theChicago Bulls for the2006–07 NBA season. Although various NBA teams had shown interest in his services, Kukoč expressed a desire to be close to his residence in the city ofHighland Park, Illinois.[14]
Kukoč was on the juniorYugoslavian Under-19 national team that won the1987 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where he was namedthe tournament MVP. He was also on the senior men'sYugoslavian national team that got the silver medal at the1988 Summer Olympic Games. He was namedthe MVP of the1990 FIBA World Championship, where he also won a gold medal.[15] With Yugoslavia, he also won the gold medals at the1989 and1991 EuroBaskets, as well as the1990 Goodwill Games. He was also namedthe MVP of the 1991 EuroBasket tournament.
Kukoč went on to win a silver medal withCroatia at the1992 Summer Olympic Games inBarcelona. He also won bronze medals at both the1994 FIBA World Championship in Canada and at the1995 EuroBasket in Greece.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | Chicago | 75 | 8 | 24.1 | .431 | .271 | .743 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 1.1 | .4 | 10.9 |
| 1994–95 | Chicago | 81 | 55 | 31.9 | .504 | .313 | .748 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 1.3 | .2 | 15.7 |
| 1995–96† | Chicago | 81 | 20 | 26.0 | .490 | .403 | .772 | 4.0 | 3.5 | .8 | .3 | 13.1 |
| 1996–97† | Chicago | 57 | 15 | 28.2 | .471 | .331 | .770 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 1.1 | .5 | 13.2 |
| 1997–98† | Chicago | 74 | 52 | 30.2 | .455 | .362 | .708 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 1.0 | .5 | 13.3 |
| 1998–99 | Chicago | 44 | 44 | 37.6 | .420 | .285 | .740 | 7.0 | 5.3 | 1.1 | .3 | 18.8 |
| 1999–2000 | Chicago | 24 | 23 | 36.2 | .381 | .231 | .761 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 1.8 | .8 | 18.0 |
| Philadelphia | 32 | 8 | 28.6 | .438 | .289 | .673 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 1.0 | .3 | 12.4 | |
| 2000–01 | Philadelphia | 48 | 5 | 20.4 | .458 | .410 | .591 | 3.4 | 1.9 | .7 | .1 | 8.0 |
| Atlanta | 17 | 14 | 36.4 | .492 | .481 | .681 | 5.7 | 6.2 | .8 | .3 | 19.7 | |
| 2001–02 | Atlanta | 59 | 9 | 25.3 | .419 | .310 | .712 | 3.7 | 3.6 | .8 | .3 | 9.9 |
| 2002–03 | Milwaukee | 63 | 0 | 27.0 | .432 | .361 | .706 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 1.3 | .5 | 11.6 |
| 2003–04 | Milwaukee | 73 | 0 | 20.8 | .417 | .292 | .729 | 3.7 | 2.7 | .8 | .3 | 8.4 |
| 2004–05 | Milwaukee | 53 | 6 | 20.7 | .410 | .362 | .721 | 3.0 | 3.0 | .7 | .2 | 5.6 |
| 2005–06 | Milwaukee | 65 | 0 | 15.7 | .389 | .306 | .714 | 2.3 | 2.1 | .5 | .3 | 4.9 |
| Career | 846 | 259 | 26.3 | .447 | .335 | .729 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 1.0 | .3 | 11.6 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Chicago | 10 | 0 | 19.4 | .448 | .421 | .735 | 4.0 | 3.6 | .5 | .3 | 9.3 |
| 1995 | Chicago | 10 | 10 | 37.2 | .477 | .438 | .692 | 6.8 | 5.7 | 1.0 | .2 | 13.8 |
| 1996† | Chicago | 15 | 5 | 29.3 | .391 | .191 | .838 | 4.2 | 3.9 | .9 | .3 | 10.8 |
| 1997† | Chicago | 19 | 0 | 22.3 | .360 | .358 | .707 | 2.8 | 2.8 | .7 | .2 | 7.9 |
| 1998† | Chicago | 21 | 17 | 30.3 | .486 | .377 | .645 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .5 | 13.1 |
| 2000 | Philadelphia | 10 | 0 | 25.7 | .419 | .324 | .588 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .3 | 9.3 |
| 2003 | Milwaukee | 6 | 0 | 30.7 | .492 | .379 | .700 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 2.2 | .2 | 14.8 |
| 2004 | Milwaukee | 5 | 0 | 21.0 | .500 | .333 | .500 | 2.8 | .8 | .6 | .4 | 8.4 |
| 2006 | Milwaukee | 3 | 0 | 17.7 | .571 | .625 | .500 | 1.7 | 3.0 | .3 | .0 | 7.3 |
| Career | 99 | 32 | 26.9 | .440 | .342 | .697 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 1.0 | .3 | 10.7 | |
Kukoč and his wife, Renata, purchased theirHighland Park home, just after arriving inChicago, in 1993. They are bothAmerican citizens.[16] After undergoing hip replacement surgery in 2009, he now plays at least one round ofgolf daily, and won Croatia's national amateur golf championship in 2011.[17] His son, Marin, played forHighland Park High School's varsitybasketball team, and then enrolled at theUniversity of Pennsylvania.[18][19] His daughter, Stela, played college volleyball atMiami University inOxford, Ohio.[20]
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