It’s difficult to strike Horace Grant speechless.
He has never been known for his quiet. Even at 6-foot-10, Grant’s personality was always larger than his frame, quick to smile and crack a joke, unafraid to voice his opinion in any locker room. But the phone call from Chicago Bulls President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf informing Grant of his selection to the the team’s Ring of Honor was enough to do the trick.
Meet the 6 inductees in the Chicago Bulls’ 2025 Ring of Honor class
Grant’s voice trembled, then fell mute. Reinsdorf cracked a joke when he heard the other side of the line fall silent — he must’ve done something right if it was enough to steal Grant’s words away.
“He was right,” Grant told the Tribune with a laugh.
Grant will be inducted into the second class of the Bulls Ring of Honor alongside Johnny Bach, Bill Cartwright, Neil Funk, John Paxson and Norm Van Lier on Saturday at the United Center. After winning three championships with the Bulls from 1991 to 1993, it’s an honor the former forward doesn’t take lightly.
After the Bulls selected him with the No. 10 pick in the 1987 draft, Grant remembers being dazzled throughout his first season in Chicago — by the proximity to the growing grandeur of Michael Jordan, by the freezing bite of winter winds. The city could be overwhelming for a young kid from small-town Georgia who played his college ball at Clemson, but his team quickly transformed Chicago into a home.
Grant carved out a role for himself as a rugged defender and brutal rebounder on a team known for its scoring superpowers.
Grant admires the defense played in the current NBA, the innovations a variety of defenders make, from Draymond Green to Victor Wembanyama. But Grant doesn’t think this modernization should overshadow the challenges of playing defense in the ’90s.
In that version, Grant fought through and under and over screens, shouldering a singular defensive assignment rather than leaning on switches. It required a singular drive — a trait that carried him to four All-Defensive Team selections across his career.
“You have to love playing defense,” Grant said. “And that was my calling card. I knew MJ and Pip (Scottie Pippen) would go for a lot of steals. I wanted them to know that I had their back even if they didn’t get the steal. I can say the same for Bill Cartwright or Stacey King or Will Perdue. If I made a mistake, I know those guys had my back.”
Former Bulls players Horace Grant, from left, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan have a laugh as the organization commemorates the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s first NBA championship in 1991. The ceremony took place at halftime of a Bulls -Jazz game on March 12, 2011, at the United Center. (Chris Sweda/ Chicago Tribune)
Grant ultimately played only seven seasons of his 17-year career in Chicago, averaging 12.6 points and 8.6 rebounds before leaving in 1994 as a free agent after his lone All-Star season.
His exit from the team was messy. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf blamed Grant for “costing us the championship” when he sat out several late-regular-season games, then claimed the forward walked back on a handshake agreement to re-sign. Grant got his revenge the following year, helping the Orlando Magic eliminate the Bulls in a six-game Eastern Conference semifinals series.
But despite that sour parting, Grant never strayed far from the Bulls. He serves as a special adviser to Michael Reinsdorf. Pippen has been one of his best friends since 1987, and the pair still talk every week on the phone — twice a week, sometimes, if enough is going on. And he cherishes relationships with other former teammates such as Paxson, who also will be inducted Saturday.
Still, Grant wants more. Time shifted his perspective on his time with the Bulls. Yes, the winning defined those rosters, but Grant also remembers how they were as a team. Nostalgia clouds the memories of those championship years, mixed with regret over the tension that fell between Pippen and Jordan after they stopped being teammates.
Grant doesn’t regret anything on the court. He knows where his legacy stands there. But more than 30 years later, Grant still wishes he could get back the time with Jordan and his other teammates at the start of the Bulls dynasty.
“I wish I could have MJ’s number,” Grant said. “I would give him a shout. I’m 60. Scottie’s 60. MJ’s a little over 60 (62). I wish we could have some great relationship other than basketball. … I wish that we as a team back then could have and should have spent more time off the court together. I wish we could have spent more time with our leader off the court.”
It’s just as difficult to get Grant crying. But once he starts, it’s hard to stop.
Grant already knows he’ll lose that battle this weekend. This means too much. Even after his time with the Bulls ended, it created something permanent for Grant — a legacy as a champion.
“It’s an honor to be permanently part of a historic franchise that just brought so much love and greatness to the city of Chicago,” Grant said. “It’s going to be very emotional, I know that for a fact. Winning the championship and making the All-Star team one year — man, this is right up there with those honors.”