.Before Toni Kukoc joined the Chicago Bulls in the 1993-94 NBA season, he was making a name for himself overseas. Both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were able to see that first hand at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Now, the Croatian national team along with Kukoc will be featured in a special documentary about the 1992 Olympics.
Emmy Award–winning filmmaker Jack Baric is set to begin production on his latest feature. More Than a Dream is an inspirational sports documentary that tells the extraordinary story of the Croatian national basketball team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Baric will direct and produce the film, which will explore the team’s remarkable silver medal win in their Olympic debut as an independent nation, challenging the legendary “Dream Team” in the gold medal game. Led by four players who were among the first group of international players to enter the NBA – Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, and Stojko Vrankovic – the Croatians emerged as a premier European force, defying expectations and securing a place in basketball history.
The inspiration for the film
While the Dream Team commanded the global spotlight during the 1992 Olympics, the Croatian squad arrived in Barcelona with little fanfare. Back home, the newly independent nation was fighting the deadliest conflict on European soil since World War II — a war that claimed more than 10,000 Croatian lives and displaced over 300,000 people.
With a third of their country under siege and fierce fighting all around them, the Croatians risked everything just to make it to practice and games. Leading the charge were four players who were among the first wave of international stars to enter the NBA: Drazen Petrovic of the New Jersey Nets, Toni Kukoc of the Chicago Bulls, and Boston Celtics big men Dino Radja and Stojko Vrankovic.
The entire world knew the Dream Team was destined for gold in 1992, so the real race was to see who would face them in the final. Croatia, Russia, Lithuania, Brazil, and Australia all vied for that spot—with Croatia ultimately earning the right to meet the Americans in the championship game.
“More Than a Dream is more than a sports story,” Baric said. “It’s about a nation fighting to define itself under impossible circumstances. And the courage of athletes who carried the hopes of an entire country onto the world stage. Their journey to Barcelona, facing the greatest team ever assembled, is a testament to resilience, love, unity, and the unbreakable human spirit. I can’t wait to bring their story to life on screen.”
“Representing Croatia in 1992 was one of the greatest honors of my life,” Kukoc said. “Our people were going through a very hard time. And the Olympics were much more than a basketball tournament for me and my teammates. We wanted to do something for our people. I’m thankful to Jack for telling the story of what that team meant—not just for basketball, but for Croatia.”
Full production on More than a Dream is slated to begin in May. It will feature interviews with various sports, cultural, and political figures from Croatia and the United States over archival footage of the team, Olympic games, and wartime Croatia.
Baric plans to premiere the film at the LA28 Olympics.
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