Answering the Age-Old Question: WHAT IF Al Horford and Toni Kukoc were Both Rookies Drafted onto the 2002 Portland Trail Blazers?
It’s one of the biggest “What If” scenarios in the history of sports. You can hardly hold a conversation about any topic in the world without someone bringing this up.
Two players whose careers never lined up in terms of playing at the same time, but each had/is having relatively pretty successful careers. Al Horford, a 5x All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks and currently on the hunt for his first NBA championship in a Boston Celtics uniform. Toni Kukoc, a 3x NBA champion, most known for his years playing alongside Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls, while also having an extremely successful overseas career with 12 player-of-the-year/MVP awards.
So let’s get into it.
The year is 2002. Al Horford had just finished his 3rd year of college at the University of Florida where he did NOT win an NCAA Championship, and declares he will forego his final year to enter the NBA Draft Pool. 18-year-old, Toni Kukoc, was also declaring for the NBA Draft, after an incredible 2 years in the EuroLeague.
On draft night, the Portland Trail Blazers make a trade-up to get their guy in Al Horford. They trade up to the 3rd overall pick with Golden State by sending Bonzi Wells, a Future First-Round-Pick, and a Future-Second. Later in the night, The Blazers would use their second-round pick on the EuroLeague great, Toni Kukoc.
Buzz surfaces around the globe. Al Horford and Toni Kukoc were going to be teammates on the Portland Trail Blazers. The expectations for Portland have never been higher. Jersey sales instantly sky-rocket. Season-Tickets become nearly impossible to get. It was actually happening.
The first domino to fall in this alternate universe happens immediately after the draft. Washington Wizards guard, Michael Jordan, whom now only as 3 Championships due to not having Toni Kukoc on his team for the 2nd run, calls for an immediate press conference.
“I have called this press conference today to inform the world that I will officially be retiring from the NBA for good. While I thought I had it in me to compete at a high level for a bit longer, something came over me. For the first time in my career, I feel old. The last thing in the world I want to do right now is go head-to-head against Al Horford and Toni Kukoc on the Portland Trail Blazers.”
That’s right. His Airness was calling it a career one season early, too scared to go up against the likes of this new dynamic duo. They were already affecting the league before even stepping foot on the court together.
Finishing out the offseason, the Blazers would still go on to sign the players they originally did in the real offseason, giving them an elite starting lineup of Derek Anderson, Toni Kukoc, Scottie Pippen, Rasheed Wallace, and Al Horford.
In the first game of the season, the Blazers would face The Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal led-Los Angeles Lakers. Al Horford would show the world that it was a mistake letting him fall to the 3rd overall pick, and that he already viewed himself as the best center in the league, as he would go on to break Wilt Chamberlain’s everlasting record of the most points scored in a game. Horford would shoot 36/36 from the field, with 29 free throws made from And-1’s, putting his points-scored total at 101 points. Toni Kukoc edged an NBA record himself, dishing 24 assists as the 2002 Portland Trail Blazers would win their first game of the season by 68 points.
Both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal would demand trades from the Lakers immediately following the game’s end, the second domino. This demand that was later met, as Kobe was sent off to the Charlotte Hornets for Jamal Mashburn, Robert Pack, and 2 Firsts. Shaq was shipped to Miami early for Caron Butler, LaPhonso Ellis, Eddie House, and a First.
By the time these trades took place, the NBA season was well underway and the Portland Trail Blazers were absolutely surging. 36-0 as they approached the half-way point of the season. To nobody’s surprise, both Al Horford and Toni Kukoc were in the lead for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, as they receive their first All-Star nods.
In the final game of the regular season, the Trail Blazers would put the exclamation point on the season, as both Al Horford and Toni Kukoc scored 50+ points, a feat that had never been accomplished by teammates in the history of the NBA.
The duo’s averages on the season were Earth-shattering. Horford would average 38.1 points, 19.8 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2.1 assists a game, while Toni Kukoc would steal the first of many MVP’s split between the two superstars, as he averaged 35.0 points, 13 rebounds, 15.4 assists, and 3.3 steals while shooting 50/40/90 splits.
Top 2002 music icon, Nelly, would go on to release the hit single of the decade titled “Fu** It, I’m Al Horford” at the regular season’s end. A song that would not only go on to win a Grammy, but would become the anthem for this basketball club surging into the playoffs. Just as a lyric mentioned in Nelly’s hit song, “Fu** it Imma average 60 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the playoffs,” Al Horford would do just that.
The Horford and Kukoc led Portland Trail Blazers would punch their ticket to the NBA Finals, still without knowing what it feels like to lose a basketball game. However little did they know, adversity was about to hit them for the first time.
Three days before the first game of their Finals matchup against a scorching-hot New Jersey Nets team, every news station in the world had headlines of Portland Star, Al Horford, had been accused of using performance enhancing drugs through the duration of the regular season. If found true, this allegation would surely cause a suspension that would last the remainder of the playoffs. Horford is called in immediately for a urine test.
The day of the first game, news breaks that Horford tested positive for PED’s and was suspended indefinitely. This is obviously a massive blow to the team and championship hopes, but the dream is not dead.
In Game 1, Toni Kukoc showed the world the definition of putting the team on your back, putting up a playoff game record 85 points in a 1 point victory over Jason Kidd’s Nets.
Early that next morning, every news station was once again going crazy. What a headline this was….
“BREAKING NEWS: New Jersey Nets Star Jason Kidd Caught Switching a PED Urine Sample with Al Horford’s Clean Urine In Important Drug Testing Fiasco: Sentenced to 10-20 Years in Prison”
That’s right. Jason Kidd had swapped Horford’s clean urine with a PED induced urine sample, framing him for the steroid use and ultimately starting the rumors of such in a meticulous plan thought out for months. Kidd thought this would be his only chance to win a title and knew there was no way he would be able to stop Al Horford and Toni Kukoc on the Portland Trail Blazers.
With Jason Kidd being sent to prison, and Al Horford returning to the lineup, the Portland Trail Blazers would easily win their first NBA title with Horford and Kukoc being named the first ever Co-Finals-MVPS.
It was the cherry-on-top to the perfect season. All was well in Portland, Oregon and it appeared as if this duo would dominate the league for years to come.
Top NBA prospect, LeBron James, no longer decides to go straight to the NBA after high school and instead announces he will attend the same college as his basketball hero. He will be attending The University of Florida.
THIS. Is what would happen if Al Horford and Toni Kukoc played together as rookies on the 2002 Portland Trail Blazers.