After “The Last Dance” was released, a shadow was cast over all the good things the Chicago Bulls accomplished during the ’90s. Far from being a bad documentary, it was more the reactions after it — especially the dissatisfaction of teammates from that era, primarily Scottie Pippen — that clouded the legacy of a team that once seemed perfect.
Still, on the floor, despite the animosities most teammates clearly had toward Michael Jordan, it was a well-oiled machine. Toni Kukoc recalled why everything worked so perfectly in an interview for EuroLeague’s YouTube channel.
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“But what was fascinating to me was the way they communicate during the game, which I haven’t seen enough. These guys would talk every single detail before it actually happens. So it prepares you in every single aspect of the game,” Kukoc recalled.
“You knew what’s happening. I could hear Scottie and Dennis talking behind me. They free me up as a defender, they free me up offensively. So you have this freedom knowing that they basically control the game,” Toni added.
Communication is vital
Communication has always been the most potent weapon a team can use defensively. At any level of basketball, without communication on defense, it’s nearly impossible to execute a coach’s defensive schemes. And according to Kukoc, Jordan, Pippen and Dennis Rodman perfected it.
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The Worm, arguably the best defender of his generation, was known as a dominant rebounder and someone who could switch multiple positions, something far ahead of his era. However, the fact that Rodman was constantly engaged in defensive communication showed his elite mentality.
As Kukoc himself pointed out, communication was almost always at a perfect level during Bulls games, especially in the playoffs when, with Jordan and Pippen, they practically never lost. Although transmission of information between teammates may seem like a straightforward thing, Toni also recalled that time and mentioned that there were teams that simply did not talk on defense, which, to him, was completely unclear.
Phil Jackson once revealed why the Jordan-Pippen duo was so successful, which adds even more weight to Kukoc’s words.
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“They both worked incredibly hard on their game, always putting in the extra work to be better players. They had an understanding of how to get a job accomplished and there was regular collaboration between the two of them that brought an incredible amount of success to that basketball team,” Jackson said.
MJ and Pip were definitely players who knew what it took to win
Kukoc also later mentioned how they communicated just as much on offense, not only between themselves but with the entire team. This helped him enormously because the Croatian legend always knew where he needed to be to make things easier for them.
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It’s strange how that connection between them on the court worked flawlessly despite clearly being very different personalities. MJ and Pip were definitely players who knew what it took to win, and even if they didn’t get along off the court, they never allowed it to affect the team.
From today’s perspective, it is sad to look at the relationship between two once-great teammates, especially from the viewpoint of NBA fans who grew up watching the Bulls games in the ’90s. However, it’s clear that with great players also comes a big ego, something that even players like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t avoid later on, even though they looked perfect on the court.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.