When fans think of some of the greatest European players to have played in the NBA, the names Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili come to mind. This weekend, Pau Gasol, Nowitzki and Parker are all being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. But newer NBA fans might not be so familiar with one of the names that helped pave the way for all of those players. When Toni Kukoc joined the Chicago Bulls in the mid-90's, he helped open the door for other European players to play in the NBA. During his Hall of Fame speech, Pau Gasol made sure that he gave Kukoc his flowers.
"If you had told me when I was young, a little kid growing up in a little city… That I would not only meet Toni Kukoc but that he'd be presenting me into the Hall of Fame, I wouldn't have believed you. Yet here we are, Toni."
—Pau Gasol
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/3CR1qA2p2A
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 13, 2023
“If you had told me when I was young, a little kid growing up in a little city. . .That I would not only meet Toni Kukoc but that he'd be presenting me into the Hall of Fame, I wouldn't have believed you. Yet here we are, Toni,” Gasol said during his induction speech.
Toni Kukoc ended up playing 13 years in the NBA with the Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks. He is most remembered though for his days with the Bulls where he was a part of three straight championship teams playing alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
During his career, Kukoc averaged 11.6 points per game, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists with splits of 44.7 percent shooting from the field, 33.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 72.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line. He was one of the original versatile forwards who could handle the ball and space the floor with three-point shooting.
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