Toni Kukoc began playing basketball professionally in Europe at the age of 17. His play caught the eye of Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, who fell in love with Kukoc and picked him at the beginning of the second round in 1990 with pick No. 29.
Kukoc was under contract in Europe, so he didn’t come over to the Bulls right away. Krause angered Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen by saving salary cap space in order to bring over his prized Euro draft pick, which led to the infamous destruction of Kukoc during the 1992 Olympics.
Kukoc finally came over for the 1993-94 season, meaning he didn’t play with Jordan right off the bat. There was more drama with Pippen that year when Phil Jackson drew up a last-second play in the playoffs for Kukoc instead of Pippen, which resulted in Scottie sitting the play out as Toni drilled the game-winner:
While Kukoc got off to a bumpy start with Jordan and Pippen, the 6-foot-11 forward soon became one of the most important pieces during the Bulls’ second three-peat. He won Sixth Man of the Year on the 72-win team in 1995-96 and was the team’s third-leading scorer behind Jordan and Pippen. Kukoc is currently the last player to win NBA Sixth Man of the Year and a championship in the same season.
Kukoc was again the Bulls’ third-leading scorer for the last two titles, but what made him so good was his all-around versatility. Not only could he shoot it well from outside for a player of his size, but he could also operate as a point forward and play all five positions. He handed out 4.2 assists per game over his six-plus years in Chicago and is in the top 10 in 3-pointers, assists and steals in franchise history.
After the title run, Kukoc was one of the few key holdovers on the dreadful 1998-99 Bulls. He led the team in scoring at 18.8 points and notched career highs in rebounds and assists per game. Chicago traded Kukoc to the Atlanta Hawks the following year.
Kukoc may not have been quite as prolific in terms of production and/or accolades as some of the players behind him on this list, but he gets bonus points for winning championships and for being a second-round pick. Krause was right to be proud of identifying Kukoc’s talent early and making him an important piece of the dynasty’s core.