Horace Grant jokingly reflected on the fan who matched his 3-year salary with one shot: "It took him five seconds"

During the 1990s, Chicago Stadium saw so many unforgettable moments that recalling each one today would mean getting lost somewhere along the way through six NBA Finals appearances and six championships.

However, the moment that ignited the loudest eruption from the crowd didn’t stem from the legendary trio of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen or Dennis Rodman. Instead, it sprang from a 23-year-old office supply salesman from the Chicago area named Don Calhoun.

You might be curious about who he was and how this extraordinary moment unfolded. Well, exactly 33 years ago, on April 14, 1993, Calhoun launched a heave shot during halftime of a game against the Miami Heat and, in a stunning twist of fate, won $1 million.

Life-changing moment

The 18,676 Chicago Bulls fans in attendance that night, which was supposed to be just another regular evening, erupted in celebration and Calhoun soon found himself in the middle of a huddle of ecstatic Bulls players.

It was a life-changing moment for him. That season alone, 19 such shots had been attempted, with only one even hitting the rim and 16 resulting in airballs. Calhoun, who never made it as a professional basketball player, had been waiting for a moment like this his entire life.

Years later, Bulls players would talk about how inspiring the shot was, and one member of that team, Horace Grant, jokingly recalled Calhoun’s amazing shot.

“It took me three years to make a million dollars, and it took him five seconds,” Grant joked afterward.

At the time, even established names like Steve Kerr, B.J. Armstrong and John Paxson were earning less than a million dollars a year. At the same time, Grant himself entered the league on a salary of just under half a million — only to climb, season by season, until he finally reached millionaire status in his third year with the Bulls.

It took Grant thousands of shots and years of effort to reach that level of income, while Calhoun achieved it with a single throw. The shot was also dedicated to his late brother Clarence, who had been a talented basketball player himself, and Calhoun named his son after him, who was only three years old at the time.

However, things soon became complicated regarding the payout, and there was uncertainty over whether Calhoun would actually receive the money he had won with his incredible half-court shot.

That’s when Bulls players and staff reportedly stepped in. A few days later, Calhoun met none other than Jordan at one of his son’s youth games and when he asked about the payout, Jordan gave him a surprising answer.

“We made them give it to you,” MJ stressed. “We were upset that they were trying to not pay you.”

Calhoun’s life didn’t change

For the next two decades, Calhoun quietly received a $50,000 check every year. After taxes, he was left with about $38,000 a year, but it still felt like a lifeline: a steady pulse of extra income that eased the strain of everyday life while he kept going to his office sales job, as though nothing extraordinary had ever happened.

As Calhoun himself later explained, it wasn’t life-changing wealth in the traditional sense.

“In reality, you’re not rich,” he said. “You’re not a millionaire.”

Today, Calhoun isn’t rich or poor in any conventional sense, but he doesn’t measure it that way anymore.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Horace Grant jokingly reflected on the fan who matched his 3-year salary with one shot: “It took him five seconds”

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