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Horace Grant’s take on the Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant debate and why he left the Bulls
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Who was better, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Four-time NBA champion Horace Grant compared Jordan and Bryant during an AMA session on Reddit.
Grant played with Jordan and Bryant during his successful 17-year NBA career, winning three NBA Championships with Jordan on the Bulls and one with Bryant on the Lakers.
Grant gave a slight edge to Jordan over Bryant but also said that Kobe was "right there" when it came to matching Jordan's work ethic:
"In terms of his work ethic, he was right there with MJ. I have never seen two individuals work as hard in the offseason as they did during the season. They didn't take a play off in practice, or anything like that. So I would say 1 and 1A, just giving MJ a little edge," Grant explained.
Jordan and Bryant's legacy
Bryant was considered this generation's Jordan. The late Lakers icon admired Jordan, who became his big brother. Bryant learned a lot from Jordan, which helped him win five NBA Championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards, and one regular season MVP award.
Bryant averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 1,346 career games with the Lakers. He impacted many lives and will always be remembered.
ESPN's 'The Last Dance' made Jordan the talk of the sports world once again because it reminded everyone why he was the ultimate competitor and one of the greatest athletes ever, not just the best basketball player of all time.
Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 1,072 career games with the Bulls and Wizards, winning six NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and five regular season MVP awards.
Grant's decision to leave Chicago
Grant played for 17 years in the NBA. He led the Bulls with 9.5 rebounds in the 1992-93 season and averaged 13.2 points, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 35.6 minutes over 77 games.
He left the Bulls after his All-Star season in 1994, which was the best year of his career. Grant averaged 15.1 points, 11 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1 steal in 36.7 minutes over 70 games that year.
Grant played 10 more years in the NBA with the Magic, SuperSonics, and Lakers, winning another NBA Championship in 2000-01 with Los Angeles. He explained why he signed with the Magic:
"It was one of the toughest, most difficult decisions I made in my life. After winning 3 championships, the year MJ retired, we had a pretty good season, winning 55 games and taking the Knicks to a Game 7. It was a pretty darn good year."
"I sat down with Scottie and I said 'listen, I've got to look out for myself and my family.' And he understood. We embraced, we talked a little bit more, and I wished him well and he wished me well. It was tough."
On the other hand, you look at a team with Shaq, Penny Hardaway... that was a great opportunity for me to go and lend my expertise to a young team with great talent," Grant said.
Since retiring in 2004, Grant has promoted basketball worldwide, coaching aspiring athletes and inspiring fans.
