In the wake of the episodes from ‘The Last Dance,’ fans got to know how Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen felt when their GM Jerry Krause scouted Toni Kukoc to bring him in. Eventually, Krause brought Kukoc to the Chicago Bulls. But initially, it was something that MJ and Scottie were very much against. 

One of the main reasons why Scottie went haywire with the decision was his ongoing contract negotiation with the team. Though he was underpaid, the Bulls were not budging on giving him a raise. At the same time, the team selected Kukoc to play for them in the NBA Draft. 

Naturally, one can expect the team’s second-best player to burn with rage. However, Michael Jordan joined hands with Scottie on this one. They felt that Kukoc was coming into the team as a replacement for Scottie Pippen. 

Now, the man from Croatia had no idea about the internal politics within the team. Pippen and Jordan bulldozed a clueless Kukoc in their Olympic matchup against Croatia.

When the NBA recently organized an ‘Ask me Anything’ segment on Reddit, Toni Kukoc made his appearance and gracefully answered the questions posed by the fans. 

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen’s indifference surprised Kukoc

During the segment, the retired Croatian faced a question about an infamous moment that happened during the 1992 Olympics. A user named SSNappa asked him, “What was it like playing the dream team? I heard the stories about how Scottie wanted you to himself, but what’s your side of the story?”

First, Kukoc could have avoided the question about horrific matchup against the ‘Dream Team.’ However, he responded, saying, “I didn’t expect that. The only way I knew about Michael and Scottie was because I was drafted.”

“I would watch the Bulls live in the Finals, so once we got to the Olympics, and we had the United States in our group, I wasn’t expecting anything like that. I didn’t know what was going on with them and management here in Chicago, I just got surprised by the intensity.”

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Furthermore, he explained the circumstances he found himself in while competing at the grandest stage of them all. “I had some other things on my mind. My wife was about to deliver her firstborn. Our son, he was born two or three days later in the game against Germany. I’m not using it as an excuse, it did happen and I had a horrible game.”

“I played much better in the Finals. When you get guarded by Michael or Scottie Pippen, I don’t think there are many players that would play good. At that time, the two best defenders in the world, maybe ever.”

While Kukoc struggled to perform in the group stage, his display in the finals sent a direct message to MJ and Pippen. The Croatian made it clear that he is not one to back down. Subsequently, the air cleared out between the trio, who went on to achieve a three-peat from 1996-98.