USA TODAY Sports

Horace Grant on what it was like to play with Jordan, Kobe, Shaq: "MJ is in a class by himself"

Originally posted on FanNation All Bulls
By Stephen Beslic | Last updated 4/22/23

Horace Grant played with Michael Jordan , Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal during his successful NBA career. He won three NBA Championships with MJ on the Chicago Bulls and one with Kobe and Shaq on the LA Lakers.

Grant appeared once on the B.S. Report with Bill Simmons and discussed what it was like to play with Jordan, Bryant, and O'Neal for the Bulls and Lakers.

"I mean don't compare anybody to Michael Jordan I mean I've seen first hand I played with MJ, Kobe, Penny, but MJ is in a class by himself, man. I'm telling you from the standpoint of how strong he was athletic, and that drive that killer instinct that you know if we're up by 30 points, he's not satisfied, he wanted to send you home, and he wanted to see you crying out the door, literally tears in your eyes he wants you to have nightmares about playing him and the Bulls," Grant said. "I saw a little bit in Kobe but not to the extent of a Michael Jordan."

Grant's time with Kobe and Shaq

The Lakers acquired Grant before the 2000-01 season because they needed help in the frontcourt, and he had experience playing under Phil Jackson for the Bulls and knew how to win. Grant described how Bryant evolved over the years.

"Oh yeah, Kobe was that cocoon, that moth that wanted to spread his wings; I mean, if Shaq had stayed there, Kobe wouldn't been Kobe—not at all—and I think it was the best for Shaq and Kobe to just depart from each other, Shaq won another one in Miami and Kobe got to be Kobe Bryant, all alone," Grant explained.

Grant then explained how Kobe and Shaq approached basketball and why it led to their split.

"Kobe lived and breathed basketball, worked on his craft in the offseason and Shaq was so dominant that he felt that he didn't have, to do that and he wanted to enjoy life," Grant added.

Great career with the Bulls

Grant played for 17 years in the NBA and was known for his elite defensive skills and ability to rebound the ball.

The four-time NBA champion led the Bulls with 9.5 rebounds in the 1992-93 season, averaging 13.2 points, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 35.6 minutes over 77 games.

Grant left the Bulls after his All-Star season in 1994 (the best year of his career). He averaged 15.1 points, 11 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, and one steal in 36.7 minutes over 70 games with the Bulls in 1994.

This article first appeared on FanNation All Bulls and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: