Michael Jordan and Horace Grant.
Four-time NBA champion Horace Grant says he still has “so much respect” for Michael Jordan, even though the conversation he once hoped to have with his former Chicago Bulls teammate afterThe Last Dance never happened.
In a recent exclusive interview with Heavy Sports, Grant confirmed there has been no sit-down with Jordan since the 10-part documentary aired, but he made it clear there is no lingering grudge on his side.
“No. No, it didn’t happen,” Grant said when asked if the conversation with Jordan ever materialized. “[The Last Dance] was entertaining, but we still have so much respect for each other and I’m pretty sure he has respect for us as a team. It is what it was.”
Grant spoke to Heavy as part of promoting hisnew Chicago-based TV show, “Legends in Session,” an interview series built like an NBA game, with “pregame,” four quarters and a “postgame” rapid-fire segment. Episodes will roll out one by one onLegendsInSession.comand locally in the Chicago-area, in both video and audio formats, and each guest signs memorabilia that is auctioned off for the charity of their choice.
Horace Grant Clears the Air on Michael Jordan & ‘The Last Dance’
Grant was one of the key figures on the Bulls’ first three-peat, and his role inThe Last Dance stirred plenty of conversation,including reports that he wanted to talk directly with Jordan afterward.
Now, Grant sounds more reflective than angry.
He acknowledged that he understands “where MJ was coming from” on parts of the documentary, even if not every teammate agreed with how events were framed. For Grant, the bigger picture is the shared journey and the banners they raised together at Chicago Stadium.
Despite the lack of a post-Last Dance meeting, he repeatedly came back to the word “respect” when describing the way he still views Jordan and that era of Bulls basketball.
What Grant’s Comments Say About Michael Jordan’s Leadership Style
If there’s any doubt about how Grant feels about Jordan as a competitor and leader, his practice stories erase it.
Grant called Jordan “one of the best leaders I ever played with” and said the Hall of Famer set the tone every single day at the Berto Center. Practices were so intense, he said, that games felt easier by comparison.
“The tone was so intense, we couldn’t wait for the games,” Grant recalled, crediting both Jordan and head coach Phil Jackson for cranking up the internal competition. Jackson would mix and match lineups, sometimes putting Jordan with the second unit and moving Grant and Scottie Pippen to the other side to keep things sharp.
Asked if things ever gottoo competitive, Grant didn’t hesitate.
“Always,” he said, adding that the team’s goal was simple: dominate opponents, win games and keep the focus on championships. The fire stayed on the practice court, even when tempers flared.
Grant Defends 1990s Talent & Highlights Overlooked Bulls Teammates
Grant also pushed back on what he sees as a modern misconception about the 1990s: that there wasn’t much talent in the league.
He pointed to stars like Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley as examples of how loaded that era really was, and reminded fans how hard it was for Chicago to get over the hump after “getting your head smashed in by the Pistons for three years in a row.” The physical and mental grind of finally breaking through is something he thinks younger fans don’t fully appreciate.
When asked which Bulls teammate deserved more respect from that first three-peat, Grant went straight to the backcourt.
He singled out BJ Armstrong as the one who didn’t “get his due,” calling him a “silent killer” who hit big shots and steadied the offense. Grant also mentioned John Paxson and Craig Hodges, saying all three shooters played pivotal roles in Chicago’s early 1990s dominance but don’t get discussed nearly as often as Jordan and Pippen.
Grant’s ‘Legends in Session’ Show Keeps the Stories Going
Grant’s new “Legends in Session” project is, in a way, an extension of these conversations. The show will spotlight the “unique journeys” of guests such as Charles Oakley, Grant’s brother Harvey Grant and Vernon “Mad Max” Maxwell, with a mix of humor, transparency and “heartfelt” moments.
There won’t be any “beefing,” Grant stressed — just honest talk about 1980s and 1990s basketball, today’s game and life beyond the court. For Bulls fans still fascinated by the Jordan era and the players around him, Grant’s latest chapter offers a new window into how those legends really lived it.