Latest news with #ToniKukoc
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"When Michael Jordan says he's taking seven days off, that's a message" - Toni Kukoc on how losing to Orlando lit a fire in the Bulls and MJ
"When Michael Jordan says he's taking seven days off, that's a message" - Toni Kukoc on how losing to Orlando lit a fire in the Bulls and MJ originally appeared on Basketball Network. By 1995, Michael Jordan had already returned to basketball after a brief baseball detour. But the Bulls weren't yet the team that three-peated. Not the version that rulled the league for the better part of the decade. Advertisement They fell short in that postseason, losing to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. For Toni Kukoc, that series marked a critical shift — not just for the team, but for Jordan himself. In the documentary "Magical Seven," Kukoc offered rare insight into the immediate aftermath of that loss. And in typical MJ fashion, even defeat became fuel. "After we lost to Orlando that season, Michael said, I didn't do what I should have, I'm not in basketball shape yet, but I'll take seven days off and after that I start getting ready for the new season," Kukoc recalled. It wasn't just a statement. It was a warning. Advertisement "When Michael Jordan tells you he's taking seven days off, to get ready, that's a message to everyone — come next season ready because we will try to make something special," added the Hall of Fame forward. Rebuilding the edge Jordan had returned to the NBA late in the 1994–95 season wearing No. 45, but things weren't clicking. His timing was off, his rhythm wasn't there, and physically, he admitted he hadn't caught up to the pace of the league. But the loss to Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway's Magic served as a wake-up call for Jordan and the entire Bulls locker room. Kukoc's words painted a picture of a team that wasn't broken by the loss but sharpened by it. The message was clear: the next chapter would be different. Advertisement True to his word, Jordan returned for the 1995–96 season in peak form. The Bulls retooled their roster, adding Dennis Rodman and reestablishing their defensive identity. The result was a 72-win season, still considered one of the greatest campaigns in league history. For Kukoc, the takeaway wasn't just about wins or stats. It was about the example His Airness set the moment he walked into the gym. In the Bulls' championship years, practices were notoriously intense. The coaches didn't set the tone came from Jordan himself. And that started in the offseason. His seven-day "break" after the Magic series wasn't about recovery. It was a mental reset, followed by relentless preparation and focus on the end goal — the Larry O'Brian trophy. Related: "Part of me was like… just didn't want to do it" - Kobe Bryant said he considered letting Michael Jordan have his storybook ending in 2003 More than motivation It's easy to see the Bulls' dominance as inevitable in hindsight. But in 1995, after getting bounced from the playoffs, the future wasn't guaranteed. Jordan made sure it would be. Advertisement The Magic series loss stands out because it was one of the few visible cracks in Jordan's armor. But instead of derailing the dynasty, it sparked its most dominant run. Kukoc's retelling of that moment reveals something deeper — a rare glimpse into how greatness responds to failure. Jordan didn't deflect blame. He didn't shift focus. He took ownership, took seven days off, and then went back to war. Everyone else followed and the result was three rings for each of them. Related: "He fights me every day and right after he brings his son" - Kenny Smith explains how Vernon Maxwell's demeanor confused Michael Jordan This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"I literally have nothing to offer" - Kukoc admits he told the Bulls not to re-sign him before they even offered a new contract
"I literally have nothing to offer" - Kukoc admits he told the Bulls not to re-sign him before they even offered a new contract originally appeared on Basketball Network. After their sixth NBA title, the Chicago Bulls dissolved into dust, their dynasty no more. Advertisement The 1998–99 season, shortened by a lockout, opened with Michael Jordan officially retiring for the second time, Phil Jackson gone, and Scottie Pippen off to chase another ring with the Houston Rockets. It was a full-blown reset in Chicago. One player who still stood tall in a Bulls jersey was Toni Kukoc. The smooth-shooting Croatian forward, once a luxury on a team of stars, had quietly become the centerpiece of a franchise suddenly stripped of its core. However, as the Bulls looked to retool and Kukoc kept grinding through injuries and transition, he knew something the front office didn't. Toni wasn't coming back Kukoc was never built for hollow stats or empty leadership roles. By the time the Bulls asked him about returning for another season, his mind was already elsewhere. Advertisement "Chicago wanted to bring me back for another year," Kukoc recalled. "But I was honest with them. I just said, 'As much as I would love to be here and play another season for you guys, I don't think it's right, because I literally have nothing to offer.'" Even with legends gone, Kukoc had kept the machine moving in that chaotic lockout year. He led the Bulls in scoring (18.8), rebounding (7.0) and assists (5.3) in 1998–99, an all-around effort that showed he could still carry weight when called upon. But those numbers, as sturdy as they were, didn't tell the full story. Toni had always been a team-first player. The rebuild was already underway. On Feb. 16, 2000, after another solid season in which he averaged 15.7 points across 24 games, the Bulls dealt their championship forward to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a three-team trade. It was a clear sign that the franchise had moved into its next phase and that Kukoc's chapter was closing fast. The Croatian's short stint in Philadelphia didn't offer much room to re-establish himself, and the following year, he was sent again, this time to the Atlanta Hawks. The rotations shrank, the minutes got shorter, and behind it all, something deeper was shifting. Advertisement Related: "After much consideration, I am now prepared to rule" - When Utah judge ruled Michael Jordan pushed off in his final shot in '98 Kukoc's goodbye It wasn't that Toni didn't want to play competitive basketball. However, the Croatian's body had been fighting its own war. The graceful movements that once made him a EuroLeague legend and a matchup nightmare in the NBA were becoming harder to summon. The issue was a physical breakdown. "The doctors, a year or two prior, told me that my hips are running out of cartilage," Kukoc said. "And I'm probably going to have to have a hip replacement in the near future. And with some lower back problems, I really knew that there was not much that I could give to anybody." Advertisement The injuries weren't publicized in the way they might be today, and it was just a slow, painful fade from relevance. After Atlanta, Toni was moved once more, landing with the Bucks. In Milwaukee, Kukoc found a quieter role as a veteran mentor on a team searching for its own identity. He played sparingly, conserving his body, understanding where the limits were. Between 2002 and 2006, Kukoc played only 197 games total, averaging under eight points per night. The numbers weren't the story anymore. In the 2006 offseason, Kukoc faced a crossroads. He made it clear that it was either Milwaukee or Chicago, or nothing. And so it ended. After 13 seasons in the NBA and a decade spent adapting, sacrificing and outsmarting defenders, the three-time champion officially closed the door. However, the respect never faded. In 2021, Kukoc was finally inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, an overdue nod to a player who bridged eras, languages and basketball philosophies with rare grace. Advertisement Related: "Four to five hours, I talked about the Bulls' offense" - When two coaches locked Toni Kukoc in a train cabin to discuss the triangle offense This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Arab News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Chicago Bulls legend Toni Kukoc hails ‘phenomenal' move to bring EuroLeague Final Four to Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI: On the 25th anniversary edition of the EuroLeague, the organization is widening its horizons by staging its Final Four in Abu Dhabi this weekend. This is just the second time in EuroLeague history that the Final Four will be taking place outside of Europe, and given the games in the UAE capital have already sold out, it promises to be an unforgettable showcase of elite basketball. The fight for European basketball's ultimate prize tips-off at Etihad Arena on Friday evening, with Fenerbahce taking on defending champions Panathinaikos (7 p.m. local time), before Olympiacos square off with Monaco (10 p.m.). Three-time EuroLeague Final Four MVP and three-time NBA champion Toni Kukoc is in town promoting the event, and he kicked-off his Friday with a friendly round of golf with UAE pro Ismail Sharif at Yas Acres Golf and Country Club. Arab News caught up with the Croatian Chicago Bulls legend to discuss the EuroLeague's debut in Abu Dhabi, his thoughts on the globalization of the game of basketball, and lots more. Toni Kukoc and @rudy5fernandez swap the basketball court for the fairways of the @SaadiyatBeachGC . See who has the superior swing #InAbuDhabi — Experience Abu Dhabi (@VisitAbuDhabi) May 23, 2025 Welcome back to Abu Dhabi. What do you think it means for the EuroLeague to take this unprecedented step and stage its Final Four in the Gulf region for the first time? Like every other sport, you can't call it European, you can't mention it as a national thing. Every sport is global, so I think it's great for the fans and you have fans all over the world. And for them to have a chance to see their favorite guys live and then get to the games and maybe get the chance to talk to them, get autographs and then take pictures, I think it's awesome. I think it's something special. In my days, I was fortunate enough to play all over the world and you don't actually know how many fans you have around the world until you meet them. And playing for the Bulls for a long time, we had this one wall that they kept letters and pictures from around the world and it would really be amazing to see pictures from like Tibet or somewhere in Africa or somewhere in Russia or Australia being a Bulls fan. So for them to get the chance to maybe see us play somewhere close to them was phenomenal. And I think it's the same thing here. I don't see why would (a) European League be just bound to be played over there if they have a chance to play here. How do you see this globalization of basketball has impacted the sport? Talking centuries ago back, you had maybe three or four powerhouses that you knew, they're going to be in the semifinals and finals of the Olympics, of the World Championships, and things like that. But nowadays, if a national team has a good generation, they have a chance to win Olympics, to play in the finals of the World Championships. Which we saw in Paris last year. (The) France team almost beat (the) US. Serbia almost beat (the) US. So basketball got much closer, much better everywhere. And I think it's great for the game of basketball. It's great for the fans. And it's just a testament that a lot of guys are going to the NBA and trying to see how good they are. When I went there, very few of us went there and we didn't know if we're going to be good enough to make it. Now people go there with the idea that they can be the MVPs, they can win championships, they can have a main role in their teams. So basketball just got way better. The stars have arrived in Abu Dhabi For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport — Experience Abu Dhabi (@VisitAbuDhabi) May 22, 2025 You went from playing for Benetton Treviso in Italy to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA back in 1993. Was it easy for you to feel like you belonged there when you first arrived in the US? We talked about that with the Yugoslavian national team, because a bunch of us, five, maybe six of us, got drafted by really good basketball teams. So we're talking the teams that were deep in the playoffs, the teams that were winning championships. Dino (Radja) was drafted by the Boston Celtics. Drazen (Petrovic) was drafted by Portland. Vlade (Divac) was drafted by the (Los Angeles) Lakers. I was drafted by the Bulls. But we knew, because we played a few games against US junior teams during the World Games. So we had a chance to play against ... Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, Gary Payton, the guys that became a future of the NBA, All-Stars, Hall-of-Famers. So comparing to our age, we knew that we were good enough. But you never know. So once, let's say, we broke that barrier and we went there and started playing for the teams and getting the minutes and getting into starting lineups and all that, we proved that the basketball is played everywhere, that everybody can play in the NBA. Right now, guys are going over there, they get accepted right away, with the knowledge of how good of a player they are. When I went to the Bulls, nobody but maybe Jerry Krause and one scout saw me and talked to me and then saw me play. Right now, you had a chance, for Luka Doncic, to see him as a 15-year-old because you can turn on YouTube and see all his games. So the other guys, and they have a better understanding (of) how good these players are. So they give them a chance right away as soon as they get there. Today, Toni Kukoc joins the Hall of Fame! 3x NBA Champion 3x EuroLeague Champion 3× EuroLeague Final Four MVP FIBA EuroBasket MVP FIBA World Championship MVP FIBA Hall of Famer@HoopHall | #BullsNation — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 11, 2021 You were on a superstar Bulls team that had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. You played a selfless brand of basketball, and came off the bench to save the day in whichever role was needed on the day. You were extremely successful at that. When you see now how there are big teams where the central star is European, do you imagine if you were playing now, would you have played a different style of basketball? Well, the style did change. I was maybe one of the first ones to do that style of play, the tall guy that can shoot threes, that can play outside. I learned actually to play a post up position in the NBA because my position was occupied by two not bad players, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. So I needed, in order to get my minutes, playing minutes, I had to learn how to play other positions. But once I did that, it was really easy to implement me in because I can play any of five positions. So it's perfect for the guys coming from Europe because the basketball is taught that way in Europe, that regardless of your height, you need to learn fundamentals of the game. The shoot, pass, dribble, play inside, outside. I said that yesterday in some interview, if you can pick a team that you can have a point guard on each position, I would probably have Tony Parker being a point guard playmaker, then Luka Doncic or Drazen Petrovic, for that matter, who is a two-guard playmaker. Maybe myself, maybe Giannis Antetokounmpo playing a point guard three position. Then you have Pau Gasol or Dirk Nowitzki, the guys that can play point guard four position. And obviously, you can have Nikola Jokic or maybe Sabonis that can play a five position point guard. And I don't know who can beat a team like that. That's why I say that the Bulls, at the time, it was my favorite and it still is my favorite offense, the triangle offense, because five guys can go everywhere on a court. They just have to know and be together and be synchronized. But especially when you get Michael, Scottie, Dennis, (Ron) Harper, myself, Steve (Kerr), Luke (Longley), when you have guys that understand and appreciate each other and they know their individual roles in a team, it was a pleasure to play. No one has gone back-to-back in the NBA for a while now, since the (Golden State) Warriors in 2017 and 2018, and I'm just wondering if you look at the Chicago team you played on, the way you guys were able to dominate year after year; if you put them in today's game, do you think they could dominate? It's hard. I mean, it's hard because every year you have new young guys coming in. Maybe it's easier these days to create a team that three guys want to play together, and they demand trades and they say, I just want to go here or I don't want to go there. And then, let's say right now, there's a chance, for example, that LeBron leaves or stays, but Lakers get Jokic or Antetokounmpo, or both of them. Who's going to beat that team? I mean, who has a chance to beat that team? Or, for example, Jokic goes to OKC (Oklahoma City Thunder). Who's going to beat that team? But at the same time, you have all these young guys, new guys. Again, if you bring Jokic to San Antonio and you put him with Victor Wembanyama, who's going to beat that team? There are so many options, so many chances. I'm just glad that basketball is on that level, that it's appreciated, that it's nice to watch. The players have been amazing. People were talking about how bad the season is, how the basketball is not really watchable, this and that. But whoever watches this year's playoffs, has got to be more than happy with the games they saw. Where do you think Giannis (Antetokounmpo) will end up if he leaves the Bucks? I hope they all go to the Bulls. I would really, really love all of them to come to the Bulls. I'm a part of the Bulls. I shouldn't probably say that because I work for the Bulls, but it would be nice to see great basketball.
