Few figures personify the NBA landscape in the 1990s like Horace Grant.
The colourful goggles immortalised Grant in the annals of league history, although the story about why he wore the equipment is noteworthy. Grant originally wore the goggles as he was legally blind, but the power forward opted to continue donning them after his Lasik surgery to make children forced to wear glasses feel better.
These kind of stories regarding Grant and his selflessness are easy to find. He is a charming man filled with infectious enthusiasm for basketball, which makes his life married to the NBA a perfect match. Grant described himself as a ‘hard worker’ and dedicated teammate, but after four championships and a 17-year career, it’s fair to say the goggle-laden icon possessed some talent.
The Chicago Bulls certainly thought so, as they spent the 10th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft to bring Grant to the Windy City. They also added Scottie Pippen in a draft day move, and the duo would become the bedrock behind centrepiece Michael Jordan for three successive NBA championships.
“Getting drafted was always a dream of mine ever since I started playing basketball as a child and fell in love with it,” Grant exclusively told Mirror Sport. “I was drafted by the Bulls and it quickly dawned on me that I was going to play with number 23.
“I got nervous but fortunately, in the same draft, Scottie Pippen came in alongside me. From 1987 to this very day, he is my best friend; we talk two to three times a week about life and basketball, and we just connected. Scottie was like my blanket, and I was his in 1987.”
When asked to elaborate on his relationship with Pippen as the Bulls won three successive NBA championships with the duo supplementing Michael Jordan, Grant smiled as if recalling a bygone dream. He added: “It was unbelievable.
“To watch each other grow, we played our career as best friends. We shared everything; whenever we had a bad game, we went out for a couple of beers to talk about what we needed to do more or do less, but we had a common bond. It was great to have someone like that beside me.”
Thanks to their three-peat between 1991 and 1993, the Bulls were on top of the NBA when Jordan suddenly announced his intention to retire, citing how he had fallen out of love with playing basketball. Grant and Pippen led the Bulls themselves, with the goggle-clad forward enjoying his finest season in the league as he put up career-best averages in scoring (15.1), rebounding (11.0) and assists (3.4).
Grant was named an All-Star for his performance in the 1993/94 season, leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference semi-finals before Chicago was downed in seven games by the New York Knicks. He left Chicago as a free agent that offseason, electing to sign with the Orlando Magic, an upstart franchise who had just lucked their way into two budding superstars: Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal.
“It was the toughest decision I ever made,” Grant said of his move to Florida. “I discussed the pros and cons of the move with Scottie [Pippen], and I had to make a business decision. I could have gone to almost any NBA team - I visited a whole bunch of teams - but there was something about the upcoming Orlando Magic, with a young Shaq, Penny Hardaway, and Nick Anderson, who was one of the best three-point shooters around.
“I thought they just needed an extra ingredient, and my experience of competing in the playoffs and for a championship in Chicago was valuable. In the end, joining some exceptional young and exciting talent was something I couldn’t pass up.”
While he was hardly known for his assists on the court, Grant’s vision was proved right as he helped the Magic fly to the top of the Eastern Conference and reach the 1995 NBA Finals. His hopes of winning a fourth championship in five years was spurned by the great Hakeem Olajuwon, whose Houston Rockets won the title in four games.
Orlando geared up to go a step closer the following season, but Jordan had come out of retirement to return to the Bulls. Chicago led the way with an NBA-best record of 72-10 thanks to trio of Jordan, Pippen and Dennis Rodman, and they swept the Magic 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
O’Neal left that summer for the Los Angeles Lakers as the Magic’s championship window appeared to slam shut. Grant lamented how quickly the franchise unravelled: “We have to remember that the Magic was a young franchise as a whole. A lot of people didn’t know how to deal with burgeoning superstars.
“If the Magic could have reversed it, they would probably say, ‘You want $100m? We’ll get you $150m!’ - but that’s hindsight. In the end, I think egos got in the way. Money came into play and ultimately destroyed that franchise for a while, until Dwight Howard was drafted in 2004.”
Of course, the Bulls went on to win another three NBA championships, so it begs the question: would Grant have stayed in Chicago if he knew Jordan was going to return to basketball?
“That’s such a great question,” Grant said after taking a moment to think about his answer. “I don’t think I could have given up the chance to play with great talents like Penny [Hardaway] and Shaq. I would have still gone to Orlando - but I would have had second thoughts.”
Grant was with the Magic until 1999 when he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. He only played five games in Seattle before he was dealt to the Lakers, linking up with O’Neal as well as Kobe Bryant and his former head coach in Chicago, Phil Jackson.
“I knew the history of the Lakers franchise,” Grant declared. “You want to continue the history of George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and so many others have brought it up in their time. You’re playing for a city of champions, the people of LA, the fans and your teammates.
“It was a combination of all of that whenever I put on a Lakers jersey.”
Grant’s storybook career saw him claim the 2001 NBA title - his fourth - before he retired. From playing with Jordan and Pippen to O’Neal and Hardaway to the big man and Bryant, Grant truly experienced the highs of a career in the NBA. It makes sense, then, that the final chapter came in Hollywood.
Watch the Boston Celtics take on the Orlando Magic live on Sky Sports and NBA League Pass on Sunday, December 18 th at 8:00pm U.K. time as part of the NBA’s ‘NBA Sundays presented by NBA2K23’ Primetime initiative.
