Horace Grant Reacted To The MVP Trophy Being Named After Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is the undisputed GOAT of basketball for most fans. The Chicago Bulls icon was on a level by himself throughout his NBA career and dominated the league throughout the 90s as very few players have managed in their era. During his career, he won the MVP award 5 times to go along with 6 NBA championships, and his accomplishments were recently uniquely honored by the league. 

The Most Valuable Player award is the most coveted individual honor in the NBA. And in the recent revamp of the trophies and the names for each of them, the league named the MVP after Michael Jordan. The GOAT helped design the trophy himself, and while some weren't happy with it, most agreed that it was a most deserved honor. 

Horace Grant played with Michael Jordan during the Chicago Bulls' first threepeat, and he was an influential contributor. But there has been tension between the former teammates off the court, and it's safe to say they've never really been on the best of terms. Grant recently opened up on the MVP being named after MJ in a conversation with the Mirror. 

“Deserved,” Grant exclusively told Mirror Sport when asked about the ‘Michael Jordan MVP Trophy.’ “Deserved. I mean, when you have a guy who brought such greatness to the NBA and won five MVPs, six NBA championships - why not?”

This is a lovely sentiment from Grant, his admiration for MJ has not been affected by whatever animosity exists between the two. And perhaps this will help tide things over between the two, especially since his former teammates think the honor must have meant a lot to His Airness. 

Steve Kerr Said Michael Jordan Must Have Felt Good About The MVP Being Named After Him

It seems like a no-brainer that the award for the best individual player every season is named after the best individual player ever. And considering how hard he strived to win it when he played, Steve Kerr's assertion that it must mean a lot to Jordan makes sense. 

"Oh, I think it means a lot to him," Kerr said to NBC Sports Bay Area. "This is a guy who went to the Finals six times, won six times and won Finals MVP all six times. So, he was the obvious choice if you were going to name the trophy after someone."

"I think as guys get older after they retire, it's a weird feeling to retire from playing," Kerr explained. "There's a sense of loss. You lose what has made you happy for your whole life since you were a little kid, in most cases. You lose your body's super powers. All of the sudden things start to hurt. It forces you to reflect and take on different interests in your life."

The MVP race this season is tight as the best players in the league strive to earn this new honor the NBA has decided to bestow upon them. And Horace Grant is completely right about one thing, Michael Jordan has done everything and more to be completely deserving of this award being named after him.