Back in the summer of 1992, Toni Kukoc wasn’t just juggling basketball—he was juggling fatherhood, loyalty to his country, and one very intense Olympic schedule. The Chicago Bulls legend, best remembered for his silky left-handed game and crafty passes, once made a decision that still tugs at his heartstrings decades later. “I know my wife is going to get mad at me… She was actually pregnant with our first son, and he was born the next day when we had a game against Germany,” Kukoc admitted, looking back at that unforgettable moment. One can only imagine the personal storm brewing inside him as he suited up to face Germany while his wife went into labor back home.
But then again, this wasn’t just any basketball game—it was Croatia’s first Olympics as an independent nation. Kukoc, who met his wife Renata way back in high school and married her in 1986, found himself in a heartbreaking dilemma. “She was in a hospital, our son was supposed to be born, and I was asking whether I should go home or should I play,” Kukoc told his teammates in the locker room. What came next wasn’t comforting, but it reflected the culture of the time. “Everybody was like, ‘What are you going to do when you get there? That’s not important.” No matter how tough he was on the court, nothing could prepare him for that decision.
Still, Kukoc doesn’t shy away from being honest about his choice. “Now, when you say that you’re going to play and not going to be with your firstborn, they’re going to shoot you, but back then it was actually really important for the country to be there and play the games,” he shared, offering a context for his sacrifice. “I’m going to apologize, it was more important.”
With legends like Drazen Petrovic and Dino Radja on the roster, and Kukoc himself an NBA-bound prospect, that Croatian squad carried the weight of a nation’s pride. Even though he missed the delivery room in ‘92, Kukoc didn’t stay detached. He constantly checked in for updates from afar while suiting up against the Dream Team in the final.
Fast forward 33 years, and he finally got the chance to redeem himself. The NBA champion recently shared a proud series of pictures on Instagram from his daughter Stela’s wedding, a milestone he wasn’t about to miss this time around. “My little girl got married, beautiful night ,” Kukoc wrote in the caption.
And while there’s joy and celebration in the Kukoc household now, it’s worth noting—Toni still believes his game could’ve been on Luka Doncic levels if things played out differently with the Bulls.
Toni Kukoc could have been Luka Doncic before Luka
Back in the early ‘90s, Toni Kukoc was tearing up European basketball courts and racking up accolades long before the NBA came calling. The Chicago Bulls saw his potential and drafted him in 1991, but Kukoc didn’t suit up for them until 1993. By then, his resume in Europe was loaded—but once he hit Chicago, the ceiling changed. Sharing a roster with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen meant he was mostly coming off the bench. Even at his best, Kukoc settled into the role of the Bulls’ Sixth Man.
Still, some believe Kukoc could’ve had a completely different legacy—one that mirrors Luka Doncic’s rise. Longtime Bulls insider and author Sam Smith once said, if Kukoc had joined any other team, he would’ve been “what Luka Doncic is now.” Kukoc didn’t disagree. “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,” Kukoc reflected.
Now, compare that to Luka’s journey. When Doncic arrived in Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki was on his farewell tour. That gave Luka a wide-open runway. He won Rookie of the Year, got the keys from Mark Cuban, and ran with it—five straight All-Star and All-NBA First Team nods followed. However, now he is with Laker with a surprising turn. Kukoc, on the other hand, joined a team fresh off a three-peat. With MJ gone but Pippen still around, Kukoc was still the third wheel even before Jordan returned in 1995.
Moreover, Kukoc was part of a European wave still trying to break through. Unlike today’s stars—Jokic, Giannis, Luka—his peers like Zarko Paspalj or Dino Radja were more sidekicks than stars. “It’s hard to call it the wrong era, but someone had to go first and break the ice,” Kukoc said. “We will go there and prove to them that we know how to play, too.” And honestly, without Kukoc doing just that, today’s Euro dominance might not even exist.
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