Horace Grant played for 17 years in the NBA with the Bulls, Magic, SuperSonics, and Lakers, and faced many formidable opponents throughout his career. During an AMA session on Reddit, the four-time NBA champion revealed who was the toughest opponent he had to match up against.
Grant on the toughest player he had to guard
“There’s so many. I think the most physical was Charles Oakley. He was a combination of the late great Anthony Mason and of Kevin Willis. When I faced those guys, from a physical standpoint, I had to go home and take an ice bath and just sit in there because I was black and blue,” Grant said.
Grant named former Bulls teammate Charles Oakley as the most physical player he matched up against. However, in terms of talent, Grant singled out Tim Duncan and Charles Barkley as the toughest players he had to guard.
“But talent-wise, I would say guys like Tim Duncan and Charles Barkley. It’s obvious how great Duncan was, and Barkley, 6’4” 6’5” at the most, could run, jump, had great ball handling skills, could shoot it from the outside, great rebounder, and just a great scorer. So those two guys on the offensive end,” Grant explained.
How Grant helped the Bulls
The Chicago Bulls took Grant with the No. 10 pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. He spent seven seasons with the team, averaging 12.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 33.3 minutes over 546 games.
Bulls head coach Phil Jackson was excellent at getting the best out of his player’s strengths, and it was no different from Grant. He developed a mid-range shot and could post up whenever needed. Those skills, along with his defensive presence, were crucial in the team's first three-peat run.
Grant was also the Bulls’ enforcer, like Oakley before him -- the forward's willingness to do the dirty work made a significant impact. His intangibles on the court allowed Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to focus on leading the offense.
The best year of Grant’s career was in 1994 when he averaged 15.1 points, 11 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1 steal in 36.7 minutes over 70 games and was named an NBA All-Star. He then left the Bulls in free agency, signing with the Magic. Grant played 10 more years in the NBA and won his fourth NBA Championship in 2000-01 with the Lakers.
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