NBA Hall of Famer Toni Kukoc said the Team USA Dream Team was trying to prove a point that he wasn’t ready for the NBA during the 1992 Olympics.
The former European star recalled watching the Chicago Bulls documentary “The Last Dance” and told ESPN he was convinced the stars on the team were out to send a message as he was getting heavily recruited to join the NBA.
“I learned about it from an ESPN documentary many years later. All of them were arguing about who’s going to guard me. They talked about letting anyone else score, but me. Jordan, Pippen, Drexler, Magic all wanted to guard me and make me look bad. Send a message I’m still far away from being NBA-ready,” he said.
“I understood I would have to earn respect,” Toni continued. “I was coming to the best team in the world. You have to put aside all your accolades and pride. It doesn’t matter if you were good in Europe. I was OK with that. ”
Recruiting Kukoc
Before suiting up in the league, Kukoc was a renowned player in Europe, turning professional at 17 and showing NBA pedigree at an early age.