Toni Kukoč was born in 1968, in a Croatian city named Split. He showed his talent while he was still a teenager. In 1987, he was selected to represent his country at the Under-19 World Cup.
His team, Yugoslavia, beat the USA team two times. On their first matchup, Kukoč made 11 three-pointers in 12 attempts. Yugoslavia won the gold medal against the same team, and Kukoč was named as tournament's MVP. (Later NBA stars, like Gary Payton, Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon represented USA's team in this tournament). Just a few days later, Kookoch won a bronze medal on Eurobasket with Yugoslavia's senior team. A year later came silver medal on the Olympics and the first domestic championship with his hometown team Jugoplastika. From 1989 to 1991, his Jugoplastika won the Euroleague's three-peat and Kukoč was named as finals MVP two times. Just for the record, Jugoplastika was an underdog all three times... In that period, his national team won gold medals on Mundo and Eurobasket. Toni was named as the best player on both tournaments. In 1992 he was representing his country Croatia, which separated from Yugoslavia. Croatia won the silver medal in Barcelona with only two losses, both from the Dream Team. A year later, he won another Euroleague's MVP title and it was a right time to go overseas. He came to Chicago after their first three-peat. His rookie season was tough. He could not play on his primary, forward positions, but he earned his spot in the All-Rookie Second Team. Horace Grant left the team before the beginning of the 1994-1995 season and Kukoč became a starter. At the end of the season, he was second on Bulls scoring, rebound and assist categories, just behind Pippen. And then came his best season. Bulls won 72 games in regular season, and Toni's contribution was seen by the league. He was named with the Sixth Man of The Year Award. Bulls won the championship that year. Same as the next two years, where Toni also played a great role from the bench. When Bulls split before 1999 season, Toni was their best player until he was traded to Sixers. In this millennium, he also played for Hawks and Bucks. After 13 seasons played, He finished his career in Milwaukee in 2006 with an average of over 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He was almost a seven-footer, but he could play as a point guard. That's why they called him a White Magic, a Waiter. He was so skilled. That feeling for feeding teammates, bravery to take final shots are... rare. If he has not been a part of the Bulls, he could play in any other team's starting lineup. He was and is a greatest Sixth Man in the history of the NBA. Also, there are a lot of arguments that he is the greatest European to ever play this game. You can only compare Dirk with him. Because... Toni always delivered...
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The beginning of our first story dates to June 8, 1973. On that day, our hero, Bryant Reeves, was born in the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He grew up in a small town of Gans, Oklahoma, so it was easy to guess that he'll go to Oklahoma State University.
After WWII, the best period in history of the Oklahoma State University's basketball was the time when our hero wore their jersey. He was selected three times in the Big Eight First Team with two Big Eight Player of The Year awards. In his senior year, where he averaged 21.5 points per game, he even led his team to Final Four. After great college career Reeves became the Grizzlies first-ever draft choice, selected sixth overall in 1995 NBA Draft, a spot before later Rookie of the year, Damon Stoudamire. With over 280 pounds, seven feet tall Reeves was a real physical machine on the court. Some people even believed that he'll be a new Shaq, White Shaq. Reeves started the final 63 games of his rookie season and appeared in 77 games overall. Averages of 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds earned him a spot in the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He finished his rookie season with 21 double-doubles. In his second season, he put on even bigger numbers, averaging 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds. Similar numbers were in his third and also, his best season, where he also had over a block per game. On January 15, 1998 he scored career high 41 points against Celtics. Weight problems and not the best work ethics led him to constant injuries, so his numbers easily dropped. While he had some flashes of great games, like 31 points and 12 rebounds against SuperSonics in 2000, knee and back problems forced him to retire in midway of 2001./'02. season. A country boy from Oklahoma, nicknamed Big Country, never fullfilled expectations, but was first big face of Grizzlies franchise. As long as he was playing, Grizzlies lasted in Vancouver. It's true. He was a king there. Despite his size and skill set, Reeves was inconsistent. Weight problems which caused injuries and a questionable work ethic stopped one promising basketball career, but #50 on that turquise Grizzlies jersey will always have place in my memory. |