Unsung Lakers heroes of the past: Horace Grant

In 1984, Chicago had the great fortune of drafting a University of North Carolina star named Michael Jordan. But even though Jordan was annihilating teams in the mid-1980s, the team had little around him in terms of support or structure, and therefore it lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of his first three pro seasons.

The Bulls took Grant with the No. 10 pick in the 1987 draft. He took a couple of years to develop, but once he did, he, along with Scottie Pippen, gave them the look of a team that was destined to win the NBA championship.

They did just that in the 1990-91 season with Grant averaging 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds a game. He wasn’t a very gifted scorer, but he could run the floor and finish in transition very well, and he was also a consistent shooter from 15-20 feet.

Even better, Grant developed a reputation as one of the better interior defenders in the league. Those Bulls won with defense, and they would keep winning big, as they ran off three straight titles through the 1992-93 campaign.

For a team that accomplished that rare feat, they weren’t that talented. Grant was their third-best player, but his defense, rebounding and hard work made them the formidable foe they were.

When Jordan took his baseball sabbatical in the fall of 1993, Grant played one more season in Chicago, making the All-Star team, then moved on to join the rising Orlando Magic. Orlando had a young Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, and he would be that wily veteran they needed to take the next step.

It would defeat the Bulls (after Jordan returned) in the second round of the 1995 playoffs before getting swept in the NBA Finals by the Houston Rockets. Although it was expected to become the league’s next great team, that was as good as it got for Orlando.

Grant spent the 1999-2000 season with the Seattle SuperSonics, and just when it looked like his career was waning, he would reunite with two old cohorts.