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Toni Kukoc is rightfully remembered as one of the most vital figures in Chicago Bulls history. Although he wasn’t the headliner, his versatile playmaking and clutch performances were essential to the Windy City squad’s second three-peat in the late 1990s.
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As someone who spent six and a half seasons with the organization, Toni is well-equipped to talk about some of the most significant moments not only in Bulls history, but in the history of basketball itself. We are, of course, talking about Michael Jordan’s iconic return to the game right before the 1995 playoffs.
With a simple yet unforgettable two-word fax, Jordan publicly announced to the rest of the world that he was finally ready to start a new era of dominance, and Kukoc felt that something was brewing earlier than most when an unusual sight in the locker room greeted him.
“He would come and train with us. Phil allowed him to practice with us maybe one to three, four, maybe five times a year. So he came and did a session with us. That day he arrived, we were all in the locker room,” Kukoc
“I noticed that my spot was right next to his old one, and nobody was sitting there. It was like an unwritten rule: ‘Don’t touch that, that’s Michael’s spot. Nobody sits there.'”
“Everyone was basically telling you that you couldn’t sit there; it had stayed like that. And on that spot, I see around 50 pairs of sneakers. Jordan Brand shoes,” he added. “I said to myself, ‘This isn’t for just one practice.’ I’m thinking, they either sent these for someone else or just piled them up there because the place was packed with shoes. Then, when I went to get my ankles taped, our physio looks at me and says, ‘Don’t tell a soul, but Michael is coming back.'”
Kukoc was ecstatic
At that point, the Bulls had spent a season and a half without Michael and were slowly preparing for another playoff run after falling short in a grueling seven-game Eastern Conference semifinals the year before, where they showed they still had plenty to say without their leader.
However, the 1994–95 campaign was the first after five consecutive years in which Phil Jackson’s squad recorded fewer than 50 wins, finishing below their usual standards at 47-35, which clearly suggested that a great generation was nearing its end.
Then, like a bolt out of the blue, came the announcement just a few games before the end of the regular season that MJ would be rejoining his old teammates to help them chase a fourth Larry O’Brien trophy.
While the whole locker room was thrilled, Kukoc was especially ecstatic. Toni finally got the chance to play alongside the man he idolized, after being hit with a cold shower upon his initial arrival in Chicago on the very same day Michael retired.
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“They killed Michael’s father, and really, the day I arrived in Chicago, the day I came to Chicago, the next morning, I went to see the training facility. I get there, it’s madness, media everywhere,” Kukoc
“I say, ‘This couldn’t be because of me. What happened?’ I didn’t know, I hadn’t watched TV, I had just woken up. And they tell me, ‘Michael, Michael quit.’ I said to myself, ‘My friend, you missed it. You’re just a little too late.’ I was so down, I went back home and told my wife, ‘Don’t even bother unpacking,'” he added.
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Chicago quickly got back on winning ways
Although he was aware that his role would drop drastically with the return of His Airness, the Croatian Sensation had zero ego. At the end of the day, Kukoc cared about winning trophies, and if that meant Jordan returning to the squad, he was completely on board.
The rest is history. After a brief playoff exit in 1995, where Jordan was clearly working off the rust, the machine quickly got back on winning ways. The Bulls went on to conquer another three-peat, setting a then-NBA record 72-10 regular season along the way.
And for Kukoc, it all started on a quiet morning in the locker room, staring at 50 pairs of signature sneakers piled high on a legend’s empty stool.
Related: “We were talking about a future without Michael” – Toni Kukoc recalled joining Bulls when Michael Jordan retired
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This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 10:34 PM.