Scottie Pippen was always jealous of Toni Kukoc. That was an open secret. Not only was GM Jerry Krause infatuated with Kukoc as a player, but head coach Phil Jackson also trusted Toni more during late-game situations when the Chicago Bulls did not have Michael Jordan.
But for all their differences, Pippen recently gave Kukoc his flowers, admitting that the Croatian sensation never got his fair share of credit for the Bulls’ second three-peat run.
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“I think it was hard for him to get all the credit he maybe deserved,” said Pippen in an interview with Spanish media outlet “El PaÃs” in Madrid while attending an event for the Sanitas Foundation. “It was a similar thing with Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. He was a champion there, always playing at an MVP level, but that was Steph, Klay, and Draymond’s team. It was a similar thing for Toni in Chicago. By the time he arrived, we were already established as a team.”
Toni was pushed back to the bench when MJ made a comeback
Kukoc was the Bulls’ 29th overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, but he did not come to the United States until 1993. By that time, the Bulls were already three-time NBA champions, and Jordan had retired to play baseball.
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After emerging as a starter in his second NBA season, Toni was relegated back to a bench role when MJ came back, and he became one of the best bench players in the league during that time, even winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in 1996.
Because both MJ and Pip were in Chicago, Toni was at best the third option, and the only time he got a chance to shine on his own was the year after “The Last Dance” when MJ retired for the second time and Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets. That year, he led the Bulls in points, rebounds, and assists. However, the Bulls did not make the playoffs. The following season, Chicago traded Kukoc to the Philadelphia 76ers, ending his underappreciated tenure there.
“You can’t say he didn’t help us win, but he probably gave up some personal greatness in exchange for sacrificing for us and taking a few steps back,” he added.
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Kukoc agreed that he would be like what Luka is now if he played for a different team
Before he played for the Bulls, Kukoc was an absolute superstar in Europe. But as Pippen said, he had to take a backseat in Chicago. But if he did not, author Sam Smith, who covered the Bulls during their dynasty run, admitted that Toni would have been like what Luka Doncic is right now if he played for another team. Kukoc agreed with Smith.
“If Michael and Scottie hadn’t played in my position, I believe I would have been a much bigger star. When I came to the club before Jordan came back, there were games when I scored up to 30 points each,”said Kukoc.
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Kukoc was still only 25 years old when he joined the Bulls, and he played seven years for them. By the time he was traded to Philly, he had already established a reputation as a reliable Sixth Man, so he came off the bench the rest of his career. But yeah, as Pip said, he sacrificed his career to help the Bulls complete their second three-peat.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.