The Bulls wing in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame just got a bit more crowded on Sunday, as it was announced that Toni Kukoč will be inducted into the Class of 2021 by the Hall of Fame’s International Committee.
“When Toni joined the Bulls in 1993, he had already established himself as one of the best players ever to come out of Europe,’’ Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “While we knew what kind of player he was, we were not sure how he would adapt to the NBA. He quickly proved that his game was suited to play with the best players in the world. He was a star player on his championship teams in Europe, and one of the best sixth men in the NBA on our second three-peat championship teams in Chicago. There are not many players in the history of the game who have excelled at the level that Toni has.’’
Kukoč, who was a native of Croatia, was selected 29th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1990 NBA Draft, and was instantly on the radar of then-general manager Jerry Krause as an impact player.
Krause and the Bulls would have to wait, however, as Kukoč played three more seasons overseas before making the jump to Chicago and the NBA for the start of the 1993-94 season.
It proved to be worth the wait, however, as he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team that year, and he played seven of his 13 NBA seasons in a Bulls uniform (1993-2000). That time with the Bulls included being on three championship teams (1996, 1997, and 1998), as well as being named Sixth Man of the Year in 1995-96.
Joining Kukoč in the ’21 Class were Ben Wallace, Paul Pierce, Chris Webber, Jay Wright and Yolanda Grffith.
