In the summer of 1992, many consider the greatest team ever assembled in basketball history to be formed, led by Michael Jordan, for the Olympic Games in Barcelona. Everyone expected a punishing expedition that would restore international honor and glory to Team USA after losing to Yugoslavia at the 1990 FIBA World Cup.
In the meantime, Yugoslavia had broken up, and Croatia, one of the newly formed countries, had Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, and Dino Radja, as well as players who had reached NBA-level talent, like Stojan Vrankovic and Zan Tabak.
At that time, the NBA caught the Chicago Bulls fever. Jordan, paired with Scottie Pippen , had just won back-to-back championships, and both were committed to Team USA.
However, leading up to the tournament, the much-hated Jerry Krause , Bulls GM with whom Jordan and Pippen had a terrible relationship, decided to add to the team and bring Kukoc over from Europe.
Toni was by far the biggest European star, having just won three consecutive EuroLeague titles with Croatian powerhouse Jugoplastika. He was also part of the same Yugoslav team that had beaten Team USA two years earlier and was named MVP.
Everything Krause did during those days raised eyebrows for Jordan and Pippen. When they heard he was bringing over a skinny white kid from Europe who had just turned 22, while praising him in superlatives, they couldn't wait for the group stage game in Barcelona against Croatia to see Kukoc firsthand and show Krause he was wrong.
Dream Team demolished Croatia by 33 points, handing them their only group-stage loss, and Kukoc was held to just six points. Jordan and Pippen took turns guarding him, and Karl Malone perfectly described just how obsessed they were with Krause's move.
"You ever watch a lion or a leopard or a cheetah pouncing on their prey? We had to get Michael and Scottie out of the locker room, because they was damn near pulling straws to see who guarded him. Kukoc had no idea" Malone said .
"You always want to check people that you're bringing in. Are they tough enough physically and mentally? Can they respond when you need them to respond? I don't think they [had] anything against me personally. They're just testing me. And I later realized that Michael does that [to everyone] on a daily basis," years later recalled Kukoc.
Subconsciously, Jordan and Pippen knew Krause wouldn't bring in someone he didn't believe could help win a title, but Kukoc had to prove himself against two of the best perimeter defenders of the era. Though he didn't see much action in the group stage, he got his chance in the final.
Despite a 32-point loss in the Finals, Kukoc was one of the best players on the floor. He scored 16 points, nine assists, and five rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting, showing he was ready to be part of the Bulls' locker room. The rest is history.
Jordan and Pippen were also brilliant in that game, combining for 34 points on 15-of-22 shooting. Years later, Jordan admitted that even though Petrovic was considered the best player on that Croatian team, their full focus was on Kukoc, whom Team USA wanted to intimidate .
"All we heard in Chicago was how great Toni Kukoc was from Jerry Krause," Michael said . "And we made a pact that we were not going to let this guy do anything against us. So it was like, 'Okay, you got him in the first half, I got him in the second half.' We're going to make sure this kid doesn't upstage the Dream Team."
Despite his genius as a GM and phenomenal vision in assembling the team, Krause never got the credit he deserved. He was far from easy to work with and had a huge ego like Jordan. That conflict was one the Bulls never fully overcame, even though they won six rings together.
As for Toni, he truly became the third option behind Michael and Scottie, which was proven by his Sixth Man of the Year award and by being the team's third-leading scorer and facilitator. His unselfish ego allowed the team to thrive. His true ability was shown during the 1998–99 season when the team was aging and breaking apart. In 44 games, he averaged 18.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Croatian could have been a franchise player on any other team, but he was always focused on winning and the team, which is why he was a key piece of the Bulls' second three-peat. Just how good he was was confirmed by the fact that he passed Jordan's and Pippen's test.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
