NBA players usually have something to prove whenever they face their former teams. As for Horace Grant, he loathed the Chicago Bulls, according to his ex-Orlando Magic teammate Penny Hardaway.
Along with former Bull Scott Burell, Hardaway appeared on the Uninterrupted podcast on Monday to discuss Episodes 7 and 8 of the The Last Dance docu-series.
The last episode shed light on the Bulls and Magic's mini-rivalry at the time, as Hardaway revealed how badly Grant wanted to defeat the NBA team that drafted him 10th overall in 1987.
“He was locked-in. He was just saying ‘I want to beat these cats so bad’. He really wanted to beat them. He had a deep hatred because they didn’t renew his contract and all the stuff that Michael supposedly did to him personally. He was like I want to beat these dudes. For him to have that on his side the very next year, it was crazy,” Penny Hardaway said.
Horace Grant, of course, was a vital anchor for the Bulls' first NBA three-peat from 1990-91. He developed into a two-way interior presence and was the third option behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen during that stretch.
As seen in the docu-series, Jordan accused Grant of leaking information to journalist Sam Smith about what goes inside the Bulls locker room. Jordan's feverish drive was chronicled in the controversial book “Jordan Rules” which painted His Airness in a bad light.
After not getting the money he was looking for in Chicago, the 6-foot-10 bespectacled NBA forward signed with the Magic in 1994.
The Bulls struggled mightily in his absence and they met Grant and company in the second round of the 1995 playoffs. Jordan just came back from retirement from the time and was handed his first playoff series defeat since 1990.
The Bulls would eventually get their revenge in their 72-win season the following year, as they swept Grant and the Magic in the East Finals.
Follow Us
Subscribe