Watch The Last Dance, a 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls on Netflix via your Sky Q box - episodes 1-8 available now
Tuesday 12 May 2020 09:21, UK
Former Bulls star Toni Kukoc revealed team-mate Scottie Pippen gave him the most help adjusting to the NBA when he arrived from Europe to play for Chicago in 1993.
As a superstar player in Europe, Kukoc had been championed by Bulls general manager Jerry Krause who courted the Croatian forward and ultimately brought him to Chicago via the 1990 NBA Draft.
Kukoc initially chose to continue playing in Europe for several seasons before joining the Bulls and, while representing Croatia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he came up against Jordan and Pippen who were playing for Team USA.
Fuelled by their personal distaste for Krause, the Bulls pair hounded Kukoc on defense and ensured he endured a nightmare four-point outing in a one-sided group game. They faced off again in the gold medal match - Team USA won again - with Kukoc earning Jordan and Pippen's respect with a much-improved performance.
In an NBA Twitter Q&A on Saturday, Kukoc revealed, despite those tense first meetings with his future Bulls team-mates, no player offered him more than Pippen when he arrived in the NBA.
"When I first got to the Bulls, things started really dramatically [with] Michael [Jordan] losing his dad and deciding to leave," Kukoc said. "On the first day, I bonded with most of the guys around the table. We were talking about the future without Michael. I had a chance to chat a little bit about the new season with them.
"I can honestly say Scottie Pippen was the player who helped me the most, especially in my first and second years with the Bulls. [John] Paxson and [Bill] Cartwright were a huge help to me that first year, too. So was BJ [Armstrong]. So was Horace [Grant]. It was fun to play with those guys."
Kukoc and Pippen are also inexorably linked thanks to the dramatic events at the conclusion of a 1994 playoff game against the New York Knicks.
The Knicks led the series 2-0 and were seconds away from taking a 3-0 lead. With the game tied at 102 and 1.8 seconds left on the clock, Bulls coach Phil Jackson drew up the final play in a time out. He chose Kukoc, rather than No 1 option Pippen, to take the final shot. Pippen refused to re-enter the game. With Pippen on the bench, the Bulls ran the play and Kukoc hit a buzzer-beating jump shot to win the game.
"I don't know why but Phil gave me a couple of chances early in the season. I guess he had a hunch that I could hit those shots [because] I had played in big-time international games and finals," Kukoc said.
"He trusted me to hit those shots. Luckily for me, I did and it gave me a huge confidence boost to play better and better each time I stepped on the court. I felt my team-mates were looking for me and expecting me to play with [increased] confidence going forward."
In the Q&A, Kukoc reflected on playing for Jackson, calling him "if not the best, one of the best coaches" he ever played for.
"What made him so good was the way he approached every player as an individual. He tried to get inside your head and see what was going to get you going. At the same, he would try to find your breaking point to see if would react positively when it was most needed. He tried to keep you focused for every practice and every game," Kukoc said.
"Coming from Europe, I had a little trouble relating to [Jackson's interest in] Native American culture but I did relate to [his use of] Zen [techniques]. Although he calls me a maverick, I think I was easy going and a pretty low-key person.
"I loved playing in the triangle offense. Phil explained it to me really, really well. He worked the triangle with [assistant coach] Tex [Winter] for a really long time. They came out with a lot of different things that really helped me. It was the best system I ever played in.
"Phil was a fun person to be around. He was a very smart and generous coach and I loved playing for him."
Watch The Last Dance, a 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls on Netflix via your Sky Q box - episodes 1-8 available now
