Former Bulls Forward Talks Being Michael Jordan’s ‘Enemy’ in Practice

Getty Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan (R) drives on New York Knicks Derek Harper 11 May during their conference semi-finals game in New York. The Knicks defeated the Bulls 102-99. / Getty

If you’re a follower of the NBA in the 90s or even played NBA Jam in the arcade, you’ll surely remember former Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic power forward, Horace Grant and his goggles.

They were color coordinated too!

They were blue and white during his Magic days playing with Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal. They were also white and red when he won three championship with the Bulls playing with Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan.

But check this out: He didn’t wear them for style!

Horace where the heck did you get those Rec Specs from? “Man, from the moon, from the stars,” Horace Grant joked on Scoop B Radio Overtime.

“They came down and right in front of my locker. It said: ‘Horace Grant wear these and you’ll be unique.’ So from out of space that’s where I tell people I got them from, from outer space.”

All joking aside: during his playing career, Grante was diagnosed as legally blind during his playing career. As a result, Grant rocked his goggles on court per the advice from the Chicago Bulls’ training staff.

Here’s the full account of Horace Grant’s goggle decision:

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Horace where the hell did you get the Rec Specs from? I always wanted to ask you this. When I played NBA Jam the arcade version I’m like: ‘Where the hell did he get these colored Rec Specs?

Horace Grant: Man, from the moon, from the stars, they came down and right in front of my locker it said Horace Grant wear these and you’ll be unique so from out of space that’s where I tell people I got them from, from outer space.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Did you wear them in college or is that something you strictly did when you came to the NBA?

Horace Grant: Never wore them in college. It was strictly NBA. To be honest, I was legally blind, didn’t know it, and my eye doctors from the Bulls said: ‘You know Horace try these goggles.’ And from that point on, that particular night the goggles became famous.

Grant’s honest. He also recently discussed what Michael Jordan was like in practice.

“This guy was just the devil,” Horace Grant told me on Scoop B Radio.

“When I say the devil that’s out of respect. In terms of the way he practiced, we thought that we were the Detroit Pistons or the New York Knicks. This guy practiced so hard and if you weren’t on his team in practice you were his enemy.”