Lakers Champ Horace Grant Gets Honest About Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant Era

On the road to defining their own dynastic legacy, the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers leaned on some of the savvy vets hailing from Phil Jackson's last dynasty, the 1990s-era Chicago Bulls.

After claiming their first title together in 2000, the Lakers looked to make wholesale changes to their starting forward spots. A Showtime-era holdover, 6-foot-9 vet A.C. Green, had served as LA's starting power forward throughout their playoff run. He was a free agent that summer. Frustrated former All-Star small forward Glen Rice was also looking for an out.

Los Angeles, which was already starting ex-Bulls champ Ron Harper at the point, ultimately reconfigured its rotation as part of a massive four-team, 12-player blockbuster trade with the Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns.

The most critical returning component the Lakers received back in the exchange was a familiar face for Jackson and his coaching staff, as well as O'Neal: former three-time champion Chicago Bulls All-Star power forward Horace Grant. LA also brought in big man Greg Foster as part of the deal.

Even at age 35, Grant was the absolute prize of the deal. A tenacious two-way talent (who had also starred on the O'Neal-led Orlando Magic team that trounced his old Bulls en route to the 1995 NBA Finals), Grant's arrival equipped O'Neal with a terrific frontcourt enforcer.

The 6-foot-10 big man out of Clemson was recruited by Jackson over the summer, and ultimately greenlit the summer trade that brought him a whopping fourth NBA title.

"One of the greatest years of my career out there. I remember Phil calling me and saying, 'Horace, we're gonna trade for you.' I was in Seattle for that one year," Grant says. "He called me and he was like, 'I need your help, come here, we're not gonna ask much, but do what you do.' We had Ron Harper on that team, I want to say Brian Shaw [a former Orlando-era comrade to both Grant and O'Neal] was on that team also. A few of us, and of course Kobe and Shaq. And he just felt comfortable with us doing what we do in terms of running the triangle."

Jackson was a fierce advocate of the infamous triangle offense, first popularized by his Hall of Fame assistant coach Tex Winter. Grant and Harper, who were part of separate title three-peats with Jackson and Winter in Chicago, helped O'Neal and Bryant operate within the triple-post system that year.

While appearing in 77 regular season contests for the 56-26 Lakers that season, Grant averaged 8.5 points on 46.2 percent shooting from the floor and 77.5 percent shooting from the charity stripe, along with 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals. His workmanlike, team-first ethos instantly endeared the vet to his superstar colleagues. The four-time All-Defensive Teamer provided an incredibly physical paint presence, creating a formidable new frontcourt tandem alongside O'Neal.

Always a consummate pro, Grant makes sure now to shout out another legendary role player from that charmed Lakers title run: eventual seven-time champion Robert Horry, LA's sharpshooting sixth man stretch forward that season.

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Grant credits Jackson's expert rotations with allowing him and Horry to strike the perfect balance at their position during one of the most dominant playoff runs the league has ever seen, a 15-1 sprint throughout the postseason the Lakers won by a dominant average differential of 13.5 points per.

"Robert Horry played just a big part in those championships, not just because of the shots," Grant reflects. "Phil knew how to adjust the times with Robert and I. I would play the first six minutes. He would bring Rob in and play [him] the next minutes. I mean, he had it so scripted that we went 15-1 in the playoffs that year. We swept I think it was San Antonio, Portland and Sacramento with Chris Webber and the guys. And we had 10 days off [before the NBA Finals]."

On the other side of the equation in the Eastern Conference, the Ray Allen-led Milwaukee Bucks were duking it out with MVP Allen Iverson's Philadelphia 76ers. Only a 48-point Iverson outburst in an overtime-bound Game 1 would prevent a well-rested Los Angeles from sweeping the playoffs entirely.

Grant would eventually return to the Lakers for the team's Finals-bound 2003-04 season, this time as a reserve behind Hall of Famer Karl Malone, but a hip injury would prevent him from joining LA in the playoffs that year.

On Joining The Bulls' Ring of Honor

Chicago recently celebrated Grant by enshrining him into the franchise's second-ever Ring of Honor, a Bulls-only honor roll commemorating franchise greats, with a mid-game United Center ceremony on Nov. 22. Grant was joined by his '90s dynasty-era teammates Bill Cartwright and John Paxson, plus '70s Bulls All-Star guard Norm Van Lier, championship-era assistant coach Johnny Bach and longtime former Chicago analyst Neil Funk.

"Man it was one of the best weeks of my life — first, being honored with such a great organization. Secondly, just reminiscing with guys like Pax and Bill and Neil Funk and the late great Johnny Bach — with his family there. It was so exciting man. And plus, all the fans there," Grant notes.

Legends In Session

Grant is set to become a major face in the basketball media landscape next year — this time, on the other side of the microphone. He's in the midst of pre-production on a new, Chicago-shot television interview show from Urban Grind TV, Legends In Session. Fans can visit www.legendsinsession.com and Instagram for full show updates. It's currently slated to premiere in mid-2026.

"I just felt that I should have my voice out there a little bit more. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a no-nonsense type of guy, I wear my heart on my sleeve and just have a story to tell. This TV series is just going to be my journey from my adolescence and my growth [in] college, 17 years in the NBA, and my guests are going to do the same," Grant tells Lakers On SI. "So it's going to be fascinating, transparent and fun. Of course we're going to talk about '80s and '90s basketball compared to basketball now and things of that nature."

Grant's twin brother, Harvey, was an 11-year NBA pro in his own right and of course will chop it up with Horace on the program. Former Bulls legends Scottie Pippen, Stacey King, BJ Armstrong, and Charles Oakley number among the confirmed guests, as do Grant's former SuperSonics and Lakers teammate Gary Payton, his ex-Magic and SuperSonics colleague Vernon Maxwell, and his former All-Star Orlando point guard Penny Hardaway.

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"I already know all these guys, but I want them to share it with the public, with the fans, about their growth from childhood, adolescence, college, what were their keys to success, and what are they doing now since us old heads have retired?" Grant offers.

The show will feature a charitable component, too, as Grant details.

"Like I say to a lot of people, it takes a village to raise a family, and a lot of things were given to me. It's just a part of giving back. Each guest is going to go to the Legends In Session Hall of Fame, and we're going to sign memorabilia, and that memorabilia is going to be auctioned off to their choice of charity, so it's just a way of giving back."

Grant has already given Lakers fans plenty of unforgettable moments during his two stints with the NBA's glitziest franchise. And it looks like he's set to make another big splash next year.

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