Michael Jordan Reunites With Former Bulls Champion Teammate

Kukoc eventually earned the respect of Jordan and the rest of his teammates, becoming good friends with the player he considered his idol as a young player in Europe. When Kukoc was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, it was Jordan who presented him with the honor alongside longtime Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

Jordan's 2020 documentary, "The Last Dance," delved into his turbulent relationships with his teammates, specifically Kukoc. Jordan famously became emotional during one of the more memorable sit-downs in the series when discussing how his treatment of his teammates stemmed from his desire to make them winners like himself.

Since retiring, however, Jordan has shown a more affectionate and personable side of himself throughout the years. That was apparent on Friday, as Jordan and Kukoc shared a heartfelt hug and some words when they ran into each other at The Ryder Cup in Farmingdale, N.Y.

Mutual Respect

While Jordan was hard on Kukoc and perhaps jealous of the relationship he had with Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, he revealed in a recent documentary about Kukoc's career that he always had a special respect for Kukoc and that playing with the Croatian was one of the things he was most looking forward to upon his return to the league in 1995 from his first retirement in 1993.

“The thing that I respect the most about Toni Kukoc. I retired in 1993. I never spent any time with Toni Kukoc other than playing against him in 1992,” Jordan said. “He showed up at the press conference, and when I was leaving, he literally cried because we never had an opportunity to play.

"That earned my respect and camaraderie ... So when I came back, I was looking forward to playing with him."