When Michael Jordan refused to call Toni Kukoc for inviting him to join Bulls: "I don't speak no Yugoslavian"
Michael Jordan is recognized as one of the NBA's greatest and most intimidating players ever. Rivals were terrified of him due to how he was able to counter any defense thrown at him. However, some of his own teammates were even terrified of him because of his constant demand for perfection.
According to the "Jordan Rules" book by Sam Smith, Jordan's intimidating factor reached a different level when the Bulls were trying to acquire Toni Kukoc from Croatia.
At the time, Bulls general manager Jerry Krause wanted Michael Jordan to call Kukoc and convince him to come to America and play for the Chicago Bulls. Out of his reservations about Kukoc, Jordan responded by even mocking the player and denying Krause's request.
"I don't speak no Yugoslavian," Jordan said.
For Krause, it felt as if Jordan was not interested in sharing the spotlight with a highly-marketed player from overseas with an upside to his game.
Sam Smith also revealed in the book that Michael Jordan didn't really see Toni Kukoc's game translating well at the professional level when he was still playing overseas.
"Wait until he gets an elbow in the face from (Bill) Laimbeer," Jordan said. "He won’t be going to the basket again. I know he looks good, but that’s against college players. He has no idea what the NBA is all about.”
Before the touch fouls were called in the NBA today, the league was much harsher, with more physicality allowed.
However, Kukoc rose to the occasion to earn the respect of his teammates, even Michael Jordan himself. Jordan's second three-peat championship run would not have been possible if not for Toni Kukoc's efforts.
In the seven seasons that Kukoc played for the Chicago Bulls, he averaged 14.1 points (45.8% shooting, including 32.7% from 3-point range) and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Toni Kukoc talks about time with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls
In an interview on "The Bulls Talk Podcast," Kukoc talked about the time he had with Michael Jordan and the Bulls when they were competing for championships.
“The team was awesome,” Kukoc said. “We had an awesome time, a great time. Everybody by then knew when somebody was having a hard time during the season. He would always get the support from the rest of the team.
"(Jordan) was really good about that. He understood that he needed all the guys being ready and giving their 100 percent for the team to succeed.”
At the time of the podcast interview, the "Last Dance" was already out, detailing moments of Jordan being tough on his teammates to get the best out of each one.