Michael Jordan's former teammate reveals a surprising side from the 1992 Olympics, defying 'The Last Dance' narrative
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen made life hell for Toni Kukoc at the 1992 Olympics, as told on The Last Dance. Jordan and Pippen were upset that then-Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause was hyping up Kukoc, whom he had drafted in 1990.
There was a narrative from the popular MJ docuseries that Jordan and Pippen teamed up to ensure that Kukoc looked bad on the world stage. However, Kukoc explained to Bally Sports' Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson that they didn't talk trash to him in the Olympics.
"No, I don’t think so," Kukoc said. "I don't think I ever heard Mike talk smack to us in the Olympics. But Michael was one of those guys if you don't wake him up, then he's gonna play. He believes in his skill and his dominance and he'll probably score 25 or 30 on you if you 'let it be' in a way.
"But if you're going to start talking trash to him, make sure that you can cover it! Because if you can't, he'll hit you for 45-50 and make you feel each and every bucket he scores."
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were unable to break Toni Kukoc's spirit despite what happened at the 1992 Olympics. Kukoc came over the NBA in 1993 right after the Chicago Bulls' first three-peat and Jordan's first retirement.
Kukoc understood his role and became the Bulls' de-factor sixth man. He provided scoring and playmaking off the bench but often ended games with the four starters. He won three NBA championships from 1996 to 1998.
The Croatian legend was still with the Bulls for the 1998-99 NBA season, where he was the team's leading scorer. He was eventually traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in Feb. 2000. He also played for the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks before retiring in 2006.
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Michael Jordan welcomed Toni Kukoc to Hall of Fame in 2021
Toni Kukoc was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. Kukoc was welcomed to the Hall of Fame by former teammate Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
In his speech, Kukoc thanked Jordan for kicking his butt in the 1992 Olympics. It helped him realize that he had a lot of work to be done before making it into the NBA.
"I would like to thank Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for kicking my butt during the Olympics in Barcelona and then motivating me to work even harder to become an important part of the Chicago Bulls," Kukoc said.
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