The ripple effect from ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” continues with Horace Grant overflowing like a tidal wave crashing down on Michael Jordan and the 10-part documentary that concluded Sunday night.
The former Chicago Bulls forward, who was part of Chicago’s first three-peat (1991-93) with Jordan, took offense to perhaps the greatest player of all time saying he gave writer Sam Smith info he used in his 1992 book “The Jordan Rules,” chronicling the 1990-91 NBA championship season that revealed, among many things, Jordan’s harsh treatment of teammates.
“Let me tell you, man, that’s a damn lie,” Grant said. “I wish I could say something else. But that’s a damn lie. Sam Smith was an investigative reporter and when you write a book, I guess you have to have two sources, correct? Why would MJ just point me out? If you have a problem with me, come to me. We could take care of it like men. Don’t try to put me out there because I didn’t say anything to Sam in the sanctity of that locker room.”
This podcast includes former Bulls Craig Hodges, Bill Cartwright and Ron Harper, who had the best one-liner in the documentary when talking about Lenny Wilkins having Craig Ehlo guard Jordan instead of him on Jordan’s game winner to eliminate Cleveland in the 1989 playoffs.
“I’m like, OK, whatever (expletive).”
Classic.
The hour-long interview titled “The Final Dance” can be seen in its entirety Sunday at 4 p.m. on BetOnline.ag with Grant looking as if he has the most to say in it.
Not only did Grant deny talking to Smith, he said Smith spent much time with Jordan.
“So for him to come out and say that, that’s a blatant lie. Lie, lie, lie,” Grant said. “If you want to tell lies, go ahead, it’s a free country.”
Whenever you reach back into the past, old wounds are reopened. As entertaining and compelling as the documentary is, it also retold stories that could easily offend those involved.
Grant is clearly one of those people.
In ESPN’s SportsCentury documentary on Jordan back in 1999, Grant spoke then about Jordan’s bully mentality.
“He said some things about me that I really didn’t like and I couldn’t take it,” Grant said in the documentary. “If you let him ride you, he’ll ride you to the moon. He’ll ride you right out the NBA and out of your mind.”
Two decades later, “The Last Dance” revisits Jordan’s treatment of teammates that led to a report that Jordan wouldn’t allow Grant to eat after a bad game.
“Players would come to me over the years and said, ‘You know what he did? He took Horace’s food away on the plane because Horace had a bad game,'” Smith said in a podcast on KBNR radio out of San Francisco. “(Michael) told the stewardesses ‘Don’t feed him, he doesn’t deserve to eat.'”
Oh really.
“Let me clear something up about this food thing, that he tried to take my food,” Grant said. “Listen to me, where’s the camera, I would have beat his ass, guys. He can stick to the story all he wants to. I’m going to say what I have to say. You come back and try to take my food, I would have whooped his ass. There wouldn’t be no Air Jordans now. There wouldn’t be no six championships I guarantee you that.”
Grant didn’t appreciate how Scottie Pippen was portrayed in the documentary as Jordan called him “selfish” for how he handled his contract situation. Grant pointed out how Pippen played with a bad back in Game 6 of the 1998 finals at Utah that ended with Jordan hitting the game winner to give the Bulls their sixth NBA title in eight years.
“That’s some BS. That’s straight up BS,” Grant said. “If it wasn’t for Scottie Pippen there would be no six championships. I’m telling you right now guys. The first championship, I think MJ got in foul trouble against the Lakers and who came to the rescue? No. 33. Scottie Pippen. Scottie Pippen.”
Grant acknowledged Pippen sitting out the final play in a playoff win against New York in 1994 when Toni Kukoc hit the game winner was a mistake, but questioned why that was even in “The Last Dance” because Jordan wasn’t on the team and was playing professional baseball in the minor leagues.
“That’s very interesting,” Grant said. “And let me get back to something because I have to (expletive) vent now that I have this opportunity. Didn’t he call all of his former teammates out? The cocaine, the weed and the women? So who is the (expletive) snitch? OK? Hey, if I had a mic I would drop it. (Expletive).”
Yep.
Grant is (expletive) upset with Jordan and “The Last Dance.”
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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