"The Waiter" - A Toni Kukoč Story | Chicago Bulls | Kukoč's role in the Last Dance and more!

[Music] foreign [Music] I started playing basketball in Split Croatia back in the days of old Yugoslavia we will put a hoop on the top of a garage made from some old Barrel find the old bag of potatoes and then put that as a net you know back then there was tremendous arrogance the Americans toward European players they're not good enough not Tough Enough which is kind of the opposite since you know what they grew up in war zones you go to karakovich who was my first coach saw me on a beach he walked up to me and the girls like well I see this small head right there and then I see seven feet away these two like feet and I didn't know if it was two people swimming or one person swimming so I would like to have you start playing basketball and I told him while I'm practicing soccer I like soccer and he goes like no no no no forget about soccer I was probably 15 years old oh my gosh back in Croatia like 90 80 something probably you know high school walking in the new building me and my girlfriend then we kind of got lost and you know I said oh I remember the tall guy over there followed him you know like the whole class will go show up at the basketball game and it would say like everyone was there but you you know like I really didn't care that much you know like yeah first heard about Tony from Jerry Krause around it was the early 90s I guess I remember Jerry talking about this young player and the skills that he had six foot ten point guard type Jerry Krause said a reputation for Finding Diamonds in the Rough we use the 29th pick in the draft to take Tony and hopefully uh somewhere down the line uh that'll show big dividends it was a different time you weren't seeing videos on Twitter of him and things like that it was more kind of word of mouth you talk to different Scouts and they would say oh yeah this guy can play and you know it's going to be good and ahead of right coaches right group of people that wanted to teach us fundamentals of the game the The Little Love for the game there's also a different area because the international flavor and the international game was not as established as it is today the tapes of the NBA players started coming to Europe so you would have these highlights of Dr J uh Moses Malone Lakers Celtics rivalry with magic and bird Michael was just spotting with the bulls the dream was let's see what happens maybe I'm going to be good enough to go to the NBA and then maybe one day play there as well that time people didn't just go especially at age 22 like to play basketball overseas like you know it was too far right after we drafted him uh Kraus and I went to Croatia and I saw Tony play a really easy flowing player who was confident of where he was and had a great Court presence remember I'm not a scout but I think I know a good ball player from a bad ball player I don't think a lot know this Krauss and reinsdorf were kind of evacuated the next day because the war had started they flew in there seeing they flew right out I always had a connection to the Chicago even playing for Benetton and it was so easy to follow the Bulls those first three championships have won their first ever NBA championship [Applause] knowing that I was drafted by the Bulls and I have chance if I want to come over to actually get to that team it was a special he was I mean and I know how much he loved Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and watching the Bulls and all those kind of stuff following NBA I mean even on our wedding night the night we're getting married and everything I said we guys can party till like three o'clock and then there's a game of against Phoenix on TV so that's when we all go home [Applause] and I watched the uh the finals I achieved everything that that I could possibly achieve in Europe and I felt that I should go to see how good I am foreign [Music] it was literally a day when I when I landed I went to the Berta Center and I see all the cameras all the trucks all the media and I was told that Michael's dad was killed when I lose a sense of motivation and a sense of to prove something as a basketball player it's time for me to move away from the game of basketball it was strange it was very sad day a lot of players were crying it helped me in a way to realize the bond they had among themselves sharing that that feeling that moment with just being my my first day my first hour with uh with that team how can you make the Chicago Bulls better than what they've already accomplished the last three years uh I know that's it's very difficult to make Chicago Bulls better because they're already three times on the road the world champion uh everything uh people said about me like a good player was in Europe Now Jerry said that I'm a new Rocky here and I have to start from that point once you were on those Bulls teams you were a bull that's a nice move for man 6-11 Tony Kane my last year you know Jerry Krause he was very excited about the potential of Tony you were the group that was just coming off winning championships you know he was going to have to earn it you know I welcome him Tony's bringing his crowd to their feet we had just lost the greatest player who ever played the game bring us help actually I met Tony the year before he came to the Bulls we played against each other in Italy he was the star of the Italian League when we first got here there was an instant bond because both of us were new to Chicago it was my height he could put the ball on the floor [Applause] penetrate to the basket post up against smaller place one of the strongest guy in the league but really had great ball handling skills and could shoot is a spectacular type of player Tony was you know a guy who jumped off the screen when you watched him skill level combined with the size you know it's so rare to see you guys 611 who can play like a guard his his understanding of the game and how it should be played and that fit perfectly into what the Bulls were all about at that time and the type of coaching that Phil Jackson wanted to do man what what a weapon he just gravitated to that triangle offense like he like he knew it you know obviously once he came in and he got to know him and you saw his skill set it was really easy to uh you know become friends with him and like him and integrate him into the team the guy who could play make read off the bounce Deadeye shooter very clutch player he just kind of had this little shake you know and he think he gets thinking he's going to go right but you end up getting back to his left hand sometimes I just feel like I never really knew just how good he was like yeah sometimes let's look back up some of his old goals highlights just to like relive it again the fun used to have and to be the guy that was making you know Fun passes getting excited for other teammates another great pass by cute coach and some fun shots [Applause] there's a song called tootsie roll and he would just constantly sing Tootsie Roll and it was just I don't know why we all found it hilarious really understood how and when you were going to be open and I haven't even talked about his past I mean his nickname was the waiter because he just had great vision and great hands was able to pass the ball making passes off the dribble throwing the ball behind his back to today's game you talk about big guys doing jokish and Denver has that Vision he's able to pass what Tony was doing that [Applause] in a sense maybe Michael not being there that year and kind of open the door for me to to more playing time to more minutes to maybe play more natural of my position if you think back to that team adding Tony on Scotty coming into his own you know we almost went to the finals that year that was a really good we were a system offensive team at that point you know run the triangle and his skill set fit into that perfectly it was basically a seven foot point guard and that's what he was a guy who saw the court and as we say in this era now can stretch the floor you know tremendous shooting touch cool coach looks nice Purdue with a great View Tony can put him ahead he won a show by Tony Hill coach well it all comes down to one at least you would think one opportunity I remember Phil saying like Okay you're gonna take a ball out of bounds try to find the Horus it's gonna be a play on the other side if nothing develops on the other side take a ball you've got a couple seconds to try to do something [Music] [Applause] that was my first time let's say that I that I kind of felt okay the coaches and the teammates are trusting me to take these shots it happened a couple times during that that season I think Christmas against Orlando [Applause] [Music] remaining Chicago takes the lead Orlando calls for time and then the famous Reggie Miller Bob look familiar to find out he'll get the screen from Mitchell five seconds four seconds three here he comes flash Miller hits a big one it's not afraid Reggie Miller hit a shot with three seconds two seconds boughs in four different directions second remaining Reggie Miller takes the fouls at the stadium in Chicago [Applause] and then Tony at the buzzer hit you know wins the game one of the great I'll show you moments ever [Applause] full 16th in a row they are going as nuts as we are what an incredible play so as millions of times people sent me a dead dead video of Reggie although the great player how he should know better than celebrate before the game is over be the ones are saying like oh that was more than eight tens of the second stuff like that that ended up talking about way way too much but it was really important for us for for our uh confidence for for energy and everything we were really playing good basketball that year you know on that team we had Scotty and Scotty was phenomenal Scotty Cyrus but Phil understood and frankly we all understood Scotty couldn't do it by himself Scotty Phil just said you weren't in because you asked Tyler to play yeah pretty much exactly when you say exchange Wars what happened I have no comments on that you know nobody really quite was sure what was happening obviously uh you wanted Pippin to be in the game we were destroying the Knicks I think we were up 20 points in the fourth quarter but the Knicks just whittled away and tied it up and you know that game goes into overtime we're done we're cooked Scotty's gonna sit here Grant could coach Armstrong Curran Myers are the five that'll be on the floor you know Phil draw up this play me personally you know I didn't care who took the last shot I wanted to take the last shot but that it wasn't gonna happen Scotty was our best player Scotty was our engine I called a million times it's not the secret he's the ultimate teammate because he does everything right he does that dirty job of defense and helping and rebounding in the same time he can score good great in transition and that's why the team trusted him in the last couple possessions to take take over the game so in a huddle Phil said okay Tony's going to be the one that gets the ball at the free-throw line it's the same play as it was against Milwaukee back in that same plague against Indiana same play they executed plenty of times when Michael was there it was always the same play Bob comes into Tony look out it's online yeah [Applause] two counts with the lifesaver I didn't hear the whole conversation in between Scotty and Phil it was clear he wasn't upset with Tony Scott he felt it that he had earned the right to take the last shot he was reacted to saying no matter who was told to take the shot as long as it was Michael Jordan see people don't if you're not there and you hear all this Media stuff and well if you're there you know these two guys had a great great relationship still have a great relationship to this day a lot more would have been made of that story probably had he missed a shot but he didn't Tony was a tougher-minded guy than he was given credit for and Tony did not shy away from the moment you know walking up the court you know with his you know like that's my memory of that moment for a non-champetship game that Arena was just it was on Bonkers it was it was it was fun to watch something like that something like that first time I golfed I was horrible the first time I I actually hit the ball once or twice when I was in Italy but I haven't started playing golf till 1997-98 and that's why everybody golf here and I kind of got the bug but I was I was absolutely tragic I was shooting 120 130 just was gripping a club and just wailing at it he was terrible brutal I'm not sure he knew which one he ended the golf club to swing or anything else played his first round of golf with him Tony's favorite Club was his foot wedge we were in Orlando for the playoffs and we were staying at a place that had a golf course on it Tony got up and took a swing and hit the ball sideways and hit the ball washer we were there when he first started you know dumping balls in the water in Orlando so now he's like a scratch golfer foreign wants to be good at things a friend of mine who's a good golfer said like if you really like the game and you're going to play the game get a lessons from somebody good so I took a couple lessons from Jim study who was teaching a PGA guys at the time he was at the Cog Hill here and he actually told me how to hit the ball decent and things I got to work on and after like 15 lessons I went down to like mid 80s shot mid 80s and from that point on I'm I'm like crazy I don't know why I'm crazy about the game but I'm crazy about the game and I'm trying to learn as much as is possible who is this guy [Music] I I missed the competition competition so this is my only way to get it done a little bit and you can Trash Talk which is a bonus if you are willing to and able to do what he tells you he's a very good golfer and a good teacher it was hit good it was hit perfect and just touched the tree and and it stayed in a rough go on Turkey I'll manage it's a far five way easier than I make three four Footers maybe because I see a hole from this height and I kind of my eyes go straight to the home before I hit the ball but day by day sometimes sometimes I make all of those sometimes I just can't touch the hole I love about it you can't blame it on anybody you can't you think there are no teammates no coaches just you and then and trying to stay focused in and hit good shots he's kind of taken the competitiveness of basketball and that and put it into golf right now and he's worked on it and he's a phenomenal golfer you know I can remember maybe four or five years after Tony took up the game being in a golf up by The Birdhouse Center Tony was coming out of the back out of the shop and I said what are you doing and he so I'm having my wedges ground they grind them to a certain so there's a bounce and Loft on them and Tony was back there I think with the guy doing it himself when I saw that I said this guy's serious about this it was all about my my number seven 177 to the whole uh seven iron and I hit it straight in the hole it literally hit the back of the hole made a dent and and fell in that was my first holy one and I had a last year two years ago here on number 11. there are a bunch of Pros that don't have him so it shows you know what a natural great athlete he was hand-eye coordination that he could take up a sport like that after basically you know never playing you know walking out the first day on the team barely making contact and then becoming a guy who you know is scratched golf for playing around the world that's Hall of Fame yeah and and a pen to sign your autograph did you see and a pen to sign the autographs nobody asking for my autographs but I'll use it when I go to school this is not good but it's not about a first quarter it's about a four quarter this is my life in the summertime when I'm not in Croatia it's nice [Music] oh yeah oh yeah get that one that's how the cookie crumbles yeah I'm back that's all Jordan said on Saturday that was really all Jordan needed to say as his 17-month retirement came to an end Tony understood you know when Michael came back to this was Michael's theme he started uh immediately after we lost to Orlando very disappointed I think you know my intentions coming back here was to have a chance I thought we had a chance to doing it all and uh just try to get it all out of the systems Michael basically said I'm taking a seven days off and I'm getting ready for the next season another warning to everybody else but it was a sign okay I want you all to be ready for the next year because next year can be special my first season was in 95 96 season and it ended with Tony hoyson the Sixth Man of the Year trophy so by that time I think it was pretty apparent that the guy could play so [Music] early on in that next season that Michael bought into what Tony could do and understood that you know that's that's another weapon good coach yes I didn't think Tony saw Michael streak him he was the man in Europe now he's one of the men so coach drives in double pups puts it up made away tough jumper from Tony and McDonough I think Michael and Scotty considered him not just a teammate but a valuable teammate Tony staying all the way on the outside Tony what do you got another three do you do you yes 34 and that's a career high for Tony trying to win fourth in a Rowan Hall I always said that those teams especially the second three people but the first one too you knew as a broadcaster you were going to see something that night that you had never seen before Tony denied that little interior beautiful beach [Applause] the Chicago Bulls are the first team in NBA history to win 70 games in a single season [Applause] s the 95 ready search NBA championship take it four in six years [Applause] foreign number one number one ring is going back to Croatia after taba Community with Houston bring his volume back to Croatia two two on a row yeah every year that went by for Tony he had to have been more comfortable playing alongside of Michael and Scotty he became a trusted teammate and that's that's really what it's all about I had great connections with Scotty with Michael with Steve with Luke Dennis would develop these little things the switching players uh helping defense running the floor passing at the right time to the right people Tony had some monster games in the finals you know 97 we were really relying on him more than we had to in 96 times when he just completely dominated the game and took over and you know what an amazing luxury to have a guy off the bench who could do that Jordan [Applause] five seconds remaining in regulation [Applause] in the last seven years that was a fun fun Bunch with Steve with Bill with Luke with Judd with harp with Dennis the times that we actually spent together off Court those early breakfast the dinner is on the road I remember early on and it might have been an exhibition game that we played and a group of us want to have like our pregame meal was on the road and I remember Steve Kirby in there and I think Tony ordered a glass of wine and this is a pregame meal Tony ordered just this massive amount of food like a salad two entrees dessert and he ordered a glass of wine too this is like four or five hours before the game and I said Tony you're going to eat all that and have a glass of wine on The Daily Game and and he said in your this is how we do it we eat lots of wine lots of food drink espresso and then go go back to the hotel take a big shot and we're ready to play [Laughter] yeah one of one of uh Tony's great highlights really and and it's almost never spoken about is game seven against the Pacers in 98 and it was only the second game seven the Bulls had in all in all those playoff runs Michael as I recall Michael and Scotty struggled some and and Tony really had the game they made the shots he made the plays that allowed us to win that series because Indiana was a really good team a very difficult matchup for us but but Tony had that game seven that that really we need it you would never hear Tony say hey remember game 7 and 98 remember what I did he was a guy who knit together all the pieces all the time a facilitator great teammate and somebody who's about winning I remember this story Phil Jackson had told me it was game five and of course we all celebrate game six in 98 when Michael hit the shot the pose Chicago with the lead the Chicago Bulls have won their sixth NBA championship and it's their second three-piece [Applause] when people forget game five Jordan on Russell into a crowd dishes out to Cucos he is just on fire Tony shoots 11-13 and it's got 30 points out to Cucos [Applause] for the game and they got their last shot coming to win the game back in Chicago and John Paxson actually gone to fail late in the game and suggested to give the shot to Tony because Tony is not missing anything and Phil like the rest of his fans said hey you know got to give it to Michael Jordan because he was our last shot guy into Jordan a prayer we go Utah and afterwards still told John you were right I should have given the shot to Tony we never guessed it now that each other fibrillation support Scotty heard country performance I mean everybody I mean that Scotty was unbelievable Michael everybody everybody I mean I don't know what what to say but I guess it's just the heart of uh this theme I'll write it number one because it's the latest one and it's and it's a Swedish one you're welcome number one chance what Jerry used to always tell me about uh Tony was that when he first scouted him and when he first signed him what he envisioned Tony doing was elongating the careers of Michael and Scotty because he could take so much attention away from them with his different skill sets and what I saw was a guy who just complimented both those players perfectly because you had to respect his shooting ability you had to respect his size you had to respect his play-making ability and you had two Hall of Famers alongside of him and Scotty and Michael and as we all know those guys ultimately not only accepted him they embraced him you try to put yourself in people's shoes and here's a guy coming over first time experience playing in the NBA huge hype huge expectations and to be able to manage that and handle it that's that's tough for him it was a team game and he wanted to win championships you want to be part of something special I think if you ask Tony kupos I know if you asked Tony cool coach he wouldn't trade that for anything he was ahead of his time like way ahead of his time if Tony had been on a team where he was the best player he would have scored 25 points a game yeah he would have been you know he would have been at an All-Star level almost every year he played he was just he was good I mean he was really really good Tony's got 11 Rings Tony's won 11 championships European championships Yugoslavian championships Italian championships and of course the three with the bulls the things that he did over there as a young player that's where it started for him that's where because as wise and recognizing you know the international player his Junior International career with some of those national teams his Olympic career I mean this is one of the better international players of all time and then he comes over and plays an integral role on a three-peat NBA champion winning a Sixth Man of the Year a major award in the process and assimilating himself as he did to me it's a no-brainer he was one of the early Pioneers you know one of the guys who proved to the rest of the world that players could come over and compete with NBA players he'd be a very effective player in this day and age and possibly more so than he even was back in back in his day we always talk about the most underrated players he's the most underrated player of all time he was a guy that probably was better than what we saw and what we saw was still pretty good yeah he's a good family guy and he's an easy guy to talk to and you know the only thing you're getting a little excited is if you're telling that Michael Jordan's a better golfer than he is that gets them going I'm assuming I left some Mark in this this game of basketball I I did something right I was part of some really good basketball teams I feel fortunate enough lucky enough if you can say that uh right people right coaches and the right players welcoming Tony to the Hall of Fame are two men who were instrumental in making Chicago the center of basketball Universe in the 1990s Michael Jordan and Jerry reinsdorf for the waiter the wait is over Tony CU coach I would like to thank this gentleman here Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen foreign motivating me to work even harder to become important part of the Chicago Bulls my sincere gratitude goes to Mr Jerry reinsor and a lady Jerry Krause upon insisting on bringing me to the Bulls and believing in me as a play when it wasn't common for non-american players to play in the NBA and for my friends who are here tonight making this night even more special thank you all for coming foreign [Music] game that you can win and be successful this game but by yourself you you need your teammates you need your coaches I guess the people from Hall of Fame uh saw something in me and decided that guy is going to be to uh 2021 Hall of Fame but thank you [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] golf with him knowing that you were the Michael Jordan of golfing well I I'm I'm probably Michael Jordan of golf and in between me and him what's up Bulls fans for more videos click here

Channel: Chicago Bulls

Views: 892,282

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Id: -lhHNMFamco

Length: 33min 56sec (2036 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 30 2021