Toni Kukoc ended his wedding night early to watch Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls: "We can party till 3 o'clock"

The '90s Chicago Bulls weren’t just a basketball team; they were a pop culture phenomenon. At their peak, people all over the world wore Bulls jerseys, Air Jordans, and other related merchandise.

Toni Kukoc was one of those Chicago fanboys who followed the team during its glory. A few years before he was rubbing elbows with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Croatian basketball legend was a devout Bulls acolyte.

Wedding or Bulls game?

In the 1993 NBA Finals, the Bulls faced the Charles Barkley -led Phoenix Suns. Jordan and crew were gunning for a three-peat—then a feat that had only been achieved by Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics teams in the 1960s.

The series’ timing couldn’t be more awkward: one of the games was scheduled on Kukoc’s wedding night. A choice had to be made. Have a wild after-party that would extend until the morning, or go home to watch Chicago play?

“I know how much he loved Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and watching the Bulls. I mean, even on our wedding night," said Kukoc's wife, Renata.

“The night we were getting married, I said, ‘We guys can party till 3 o’clock. And then there’s a game against Phoenix on TV. So, that’s when we’ll all go home,'" Toni added.

Note that Toni wasn’t your ordinary Bulls fan in 1993. The team picked the European basketball star in 1990 as the 29th overall pick. But Toni opted to stay with his squad for a couple of years. Not only was he watching Chicago make history, but The Waiter was also studying how he could contribute when he joined the Bulls.

Jordan's influence on Kukoc

Staying up late to watch MJ and Pip play was worth it. Not just because they completed their three-peat, but when Kukoc finally donned the classic white and red threads, his length, scoring, and basketball IQ perfectly matched Phil Jackson’s system.

The Bulls did not just benefit from Toni; the 1996 Sixth Man of the Year also learned great things from the team, especially from Air Jordan himself. Seeing Michael every day working his tail off amid his already impressive resume taught Kukoc the value of hard work and dedication.

“In those few years, I had the chance to play with him, he never missed a practice, never missed a game, so many wins, MVPs, but he still found a reason every day to come to that practice and learn something new, to push all of us there to give our maximum day in and day out. Our practices were tougher than 60, 70% the games we played, and you can't do that without a leader that's there every day. That was Michael for us," Kukoc explained.

Indeed, Toni had quite an NBA journey. He went from being a massive Bulls fanatic to becoming part of its rich history. People all over the world stayed up late to watch Chicago play. But Kukoc is probably the only man on earth to actually play with the legends and win three titles with them.

Related: Michael Jordan once shared why it was crucial for him to help Toni Kukoc find his place with the Bulls: “He's going to have to deal with expectations"