Contrary to the NBA landscape of today, where teams are so focused on load management that they often eschew practices in favor of shootarounds and walkthroughs, the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s employed a wholly different tactic.
Practices were seen as a time to prove one’s worth and push each other to their limits to see who had what it takes to excel when the going got tough. And no one knew this better than Horace Grant, a key member of that legendary Bulls squad that dominated the NBA for much of the decade.
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In an interview with Urban Grind TV, the bespectacled power forward shared how their practices were so intense and physical that they made them feel like the actual games were mere scrimmages.
It was ordinary to see teammates argue
With NBA teams relying more on scientific and medical data, coaches often opt to give players more rest time rather than subject them to rigorous practices. This is a prudent move, especially with the games coming one after another. However, the ’90s were a different era, and coaches relished watching their players go after one another like it was the playoffs.
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“Our practices were so intense. We thirsted for the game,” Horace revealed. “And when the game came, we were already prepared because the practices — I promise you — it was like a freaking boxing match.”
Lest anyone believe Horace was just exaggerating about how violence was common in practices back in the day, Bulls center Will Perdue could actually relate to what his former teammate is talking about, especially since he was on the receiving end of a punch thrown by Bulls megastar Michael Jordan.
After a rough sequence wherein MJ believed Purdue gave him a harder-than-usual pick, he immediately got up. He took a shot at the latter’s head. No words were exchanged — just immediate retaliation.
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“Jordan got up and immediately just turned around and hauled off and swung at me,” Perdue recollected. “And I was able to duck just enough, so he didn’t get a square shot to the face, but kind of hit me just across the side of the temple.”
Jackson knew what he was doing
A lot of credit goes to Bulls head coach Phil Jackson for pushing his team to practice regularly. Not only that, he also pushed his players’ buttons, making sure Jordan and Pippen were always on separate teams so they would compete against each other and stay sharp.
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“And Phil Jackson, being the mind player that he was, would switch the teams up,” Horace shared. “He’d put MJ on the second team, or put me and Pip on the second team. And the s—t talking, the fist fights…”
In a separate interview, Pippen discussed how going up against MJ in practice helped him hone his defensive skills to elite levels. After all, if he could stay in front of the greatest scorer of that generation, he could guard anyone in the league.
“A lot of my instincts came from guarding Michael all the time in practice,” Pippen recounted. “I had four other guys on my team, but I had schemes that I would throw out there depending on what he did. There were things I tried to do on defense to trigger him into a mistake.”
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Horace said the ferocity they used to battle one another in practice naturally carried over to the games themselves. This mindset allowed them to dominate their foes, regardless of it was a powerhouse like the Detroit Pistons or a minnow like the Washington Bullets.
“That just carried over into the games, in terms of us being ready, being physical, and mentally prepared to play against the best team or the worst team,” Horace expressed.
Iron sharpens iron. This is what the ’90s Bulls believed in and implemented every time they practiced. Their relentless pursuit of excellence pushed each other to be the best versions of themselves, which showed in the results.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.