.jpg) Grant in 2014 | |
| Chicago Bulls | |
|---|---|
| Position | Special advisor |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1965-07-04)July 4, 1965 (age 59) Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hancock Central (Sparta, Georgia) |
| College | Clemson (1983–1987) |
| NBA draft | 1987: 1st round, 10th overall pick |
| Selected by theChicago Bulls | |
| Playing career | 1987–2004 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 54 |
| Career history | |
| 1987–1994 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1994–1999 | Orlando Magic |
| 1999–2000 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 2000–2001 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2001–2002 | Orlando Magic |
| 2003–2004 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 12,996 (11.2 ppg) |
| Rebound | 9,443 (8.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,575 (2.2 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Horace Junior Grant Sr. (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professionalbasketball player who is a special advisor for Michael Reinsdorf, the president and chief operating officer of theChicago Bulls.[1][2] He playedcollege basketball atClemson University before playing professionally in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), where he became a four-time champion; winning three championships with theChicago Bulls and one championship with theLos Angeles Lakers. Horace is the twin brother of former NBA playerHarvey Grant. Horace made an NBA All-Star Game in 1994.
Grant was born on July 4, 1965, inAugusta, Georgia. He and his twin brother, Harvey, grew up inHancock County, Georgia and attended school in Sparta, Georgia.
Grant attendedClemson University, where he was a member ofPi Kappa Alpha. With theClemson Tigers, he became the first player in ACC history to lead the league in scoring (21.0 average), rebounding (9.6) and field goal shooting (70.8 percent). In 1987, Grant helped lead Clemson to the NCAA Tournament and was namedACC Player of the Year, becoming the first Clemson player to receive that honor.
Grant was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 10th overall pick of the1987 NBA draft. The 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tallpower forward /center teamed with fellow draft-day acquisitionScottie Pippen to form the Bulls' forward tandem of the future, although he initially backed up incumbentCharles Oakley, one of the league's premier rebounders and post defenders.
In 1988, Grant moved into the starting lineup when Oakley was traded to theNew York Knicks for centerBill Cartwright. He immediately became the Bulls' main rebounder, and established himself as the Bulls' third scoring option afterMichael Jordan and Pippen, forming one of the league's best trios. Grant was noted for his defensive play; he was selected four times for theNBA All-Defensive Team.[3] He helped Chicago win three consecutive NBA championships (1991,1992, and1993), securing the third with a last-second block onKevin Johnson.
Grant, who was diagnosed with myopia and wore eyeglasses, began wearing goggles fitted with prescription lenses on the court starting with the 1990–91 season.[4] The goggles soon became a trademark for Grant. Although he eventually receivedLASIK surgery to correct his sight, he continued to wear the goggles on the court after he had heard from parents that he had become an inspirational figure to children who wore eyeglasses.[5]
After Jordan's first retirement following the 1992–93 season, Grant became the number-two star behind Pippen, and helped the Bulls push the Knicks to seven games in the second-round playoff series before being eliminated. Grant played in the1994 NBA All-Star Game, posting four points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes. During the 1993–94 season he recorded career-best averages in scoring (15.1), rebounding (11.0), and assists (3.4).
Grant left the Bulls as afree agent and joined theOrlando Magic, led byShaquille O'Neal andPenny Hardaway. On May 5, 1995, Grant made the final basket inBoston Garden history in Orlando's series-clinching victory over theBoston Celtics. Grant helped the Magic reach the1995 NBA Finals, where they were swept in four games by theHouston Rockets. Grant spent the next several seasons with the Magic.
Grant was traded to theSeattle SuperSonics along with2000 and2001 second round picks forDale Ellis,Don MacLean,Billy Owens, and rookieCorey Maggette just before start of the1999–2000 season.
After one year with the Sonics, Grant was involved in a three-way trade in whichGlen Rice of theLos Angeles Lakers was sent to New York,Patrick Ewing of the Knicks was sent to Seattle, and Grant to the defending champion Lakers, reuniting him with Shaquille O'Neal and former Bulls coachPhil Jackson. He helped them win another championship in the2000–01 season.
In the offseason, Grant decided to leave Los Angeles and sign back with the Orlando Magic. The Los Angeles Lakers would go on to win the 2002 NBA championship without Grant. Grant was ultimately cut by the Magic in December 2002 after then-coachDoc Rivers said Grant had tried to undermine the coach and was a "cancer" on the team.[6]
Grant chose to retire after getting cut by the Magic. However, he decided to return for another run with the Lakers for the2003–04 season as a backup toKarl Malone. He then retired permanently following the Lakers' loss to theDetroit Pistons in the2004 NBA Finals.
In 2009 Grant was appointed NBA Goodwill Ambassador.
In 2016, he became Special Advisor for Michael Reinsdorf, the president andchief operating officer of theChicago Bulls.
Grant'sidentical twin brother,Harvey Grant, played 11 NBA seasons for theWashington Bullets/Wizards,Portland Trail Blazers, andPhiladelphia 76ers.
Grant was best friends with former teammate Scottie Pippen for many years when they were both on the Bulls. He said they grew apart when he left Chicago for Orlando, but that they are still friends and keep in touch.
When asked why he wore his signature goggles, Grant said he originally wore them because he was legally blind, but even after receivingLasik surgery, he continued wearing his goggles without the prescription in order to remain a positive influence so kids who needed glasses would think it's cool.[7]
Three of Grant's nephews are also basketball players.Jerai Grant playedcollege basketball forClemson University[8] and currently plays overseas;[9]Jerian Grant played for theUniversity of Notre DameFighting Irish men's basketball team, he plays inPanathinaikos and was selected as theEuroCup Basketball MVP of the2022-23 EuroCup Basketball; andJerami Grant played for theSyracuse UniversityOrange men's basketball team and currently plays for thePortland Trail Blazers.
Horace has three sons (Deon, Horace Jr., and Elijah) and five daughters (Coriel, Gianna, Maia, Naomi, and Eva).
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–88 | Chicago | 81 | 6 | 22.6 | .501 | .000 | .626 | 5.5 | 1.1 | .6 | .7 | 7.7 |
| 1988–89 | Chicago | 79 | 79 | 35.6 | .519 | .000 | .704 | 8.6 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .8 | 12.0 |
| 1989–90 | Chicago | 80 | 80 | 34.4 | .523 | — | .699 | 7.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 13.4 |
| 1990–91† | Chicago | 78 | 76 | 33.9 | .547 | .167 | .711 | 8.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | .9 | 12.8 |
| 1991–92† | Chicago | 81 | 81 | 35.3 | .578 | .000 | .741 | 10.0 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 14.2 |
| 1992–93† | Chicago | 77 | 77 | 35.6 | .508 | .200 | .619 | 9.5 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 13.2 |
| 1993–94 | Chicago | 70 | 69 | 36.7 | .524 | .000 | .596 | 11.0 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 15.1 |
| 1994–95 | Orlando | 74 | 74 | 36.4 | .567 | .000 | .692 | 9.7 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 12.8 |
| 1995–96 | Orlando | 63 | 62 | 36.3 | .513 | .167 | .734 | 9.2 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 13.4 |
| 1996–97 | Orlando | 67 | 67 | 37.3 | .515 | .167 | .715 | 9.0 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 12.6 |
| 1997–98 | Orlando | 76 | 76 | 36.9 | .459 | .000 | .678 | 8.1 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 12.1 |
| 1998–99 | Orlando | 50* | 50* | 33.2 | .434 | .000 | .671 | 7.0 | 1.8 | .9 | 1.2 | 8.9 |
| 1999–00 | Seattle | 76 | 76 | 35.4 | .444 | .000 | .721 | 7.8 | 2.5 | .7 | .8 | 8.1 |
| 2000–01† | L.A. Lakers | 77 | 77 | 31.0 | .462 | .000 | .775 | 7.1 | 1.6 | .7 | .8 | 8.5 |
| 2001–02 | Orlando | 76 | 76 | 29.1 | .513 | — | .721 | 6.3 | 1.4 | .8 | .6 | 8.0 |
| 2002–03 | Orlando | 5 | 1 | 17.0 | .520 | — | — | 1.6 | 1.4 | .6 | .0 | 5.2 |
| 2003–04 | L. A. Lakers | 55 | 10 | 20.1 | .411 | .000 | .722 | 4.2 | 1.3 | .4 | .4 | 4.1 |
| Career | 1,165 | 1,037 | 33.2 | .509 | .063 | .692 | 8.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 11.2 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 17.0 | .250 | — | — | 8.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Chicago | 10 | 0 | 29.9 | .568 | .000 | .600 | 7.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | .2 | 10.1 |
| 1989 | Chicago | 17 | 17 | 36.8 | .518 | — | .800 | 9.8 | 2.1 | .6 | .9 | 10.8 |
| 1990 | Chicago | 16 | 16 | 38.5 | .509 | .000 | .623 | 9.9 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 12.2 |
| 1991† | Chicago | 17 | 17 | 39.2 | .583 | — | .733 | 8.1 | 2.2 | .9 | .4 | 13.3 |
| 1992† | Chicago | 22 | 22 | 38.9 | .541 | .000 | .671 | 8.8 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 11.3 |
| 1993† | Chicago | 19 | 19 | 34.3 | .546 | — | .685 | 8.2 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 10.7 |
| 1994 | Chicago | 10 | 10 | 39.3 | .542 | 1.000 | .738 | 7.4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 16.2 |
| 1995 | Orlando | 21 | 21 | 41.4 | .540 | .000 | .763 | 10.4 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 13.7 |
| 1996 | Orlando | 9 | 9 | 37.1 | .649 | — | .867 | 10.4 | 1.4 | .8 | .7 | 15.0 |
| 1999 | Orlando | 4 | 4 | 32.0 | .367 | — | .625 | 7.0 | 1.3 | .5 | .5 | 6.8 |
| 2000 | Seattle | 5 | 5 | 37.0 | .407 | — | .500 | 6.2 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 4.8 |
| 2001† | L.A. Lakers | 16 | 16 | 26.4 | .385 | — | .733 | 6.0 | 1.2 | .9 | .8 | 6.0 |
| 2002 | Orlando | 4 | 4 | 31.8 | .364 | — | 1.000 | 7.8 | 2.3 | .8 | .3 | 4.5 |
| Career | 170 | 160 | 36.3 | .530 | .125 | .714 | 8.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 11.2 | |