Toni Kukoc

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Nicknamed 'the Waiter' and 'the Croatian Sensation', Kukoč is renowned for his exceptional basketball IQ, versatility and passing ability. Although his natural position was small forward, the 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Kukoč played multiple positions 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 and Vassilis Spanoulis are the only players in history to receive the EuroLeague Final Four MVP honor on three occasions. He was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2023, he was selected to be in the inaugural class of the Chicago Bulls' Ring of Honor.

In Their Own Story

On January 21, 1994, with just 0.8 seconds left against the Indiana Pacers, Reggie Miller gave the Pacers a 95–93 lead. Scottie Pippen inbounded to Kukoč, who hit a three-point jumper at the buzzer for a 96–95 victory. Later that season, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks, the game was tied 102 with 1.8 seconds remaining. Coach Phil Jackson designed the final play for Kukoč, enraging Pippen, who refused to leave the bench until after the timeout. Kukoč hit a 23-foot fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to win the game, though the Bulls eventually lost the series in seven games. In the 1997 NBA Finals against Utah, Kukoč sealed Game 6 with a dunk off a Scottie Pippen pass with 0.6 seconds left, making the score 90–86. By the 1998 postseason, he had moved into the starting lineup for all six games of the Finals as the Bulls defeated the Jazz again.

Reader's Guide

For the 1995–96 season, the Bulls were bolstered by both Jordan's return to full form and the offseason acquisition of exceptional rebounder Dennis Rodman. With Pippen still at small forward, coach Phil 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 the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. 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 the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors), as well as the fourth championship in team history. Kukoč was the 4th and is currently the last player to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and the NBA title in the same year having joined Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, and Bobby Jones in accomplishing that feat.

Did You Know?

• Kukoč won the EuroLeague Final Four MVP twice (1990 and 1991), not three times.
• Kukoč was the first player to win both the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and an NBA title in the same season, joining Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, and Bobby Jones as the fourth to achieve that feat.
• During the 1995–96 season, Kukoč finished third on the Bulls in scoring behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.