The Guy Who Made Goggles Cool
Remembering Horace Grant — an integral part of the first three-peat
Throughout the off-season, the team at Bulls Confidential is going to reveal our picks for the top 25 best players in Chicago Bulls franchise history. We are measuring overall impact on the organization, community, and how they impacted their team. Follow along on Twitter by searching #BC25.
25. Mickey Johnson
24. Guy Rodgers
23. Orlando Woolridge
22. Charles Oakley
21. Taj Gibson
20. Bob Boozer
19. Elton Brand
18. Ben Gordon
17. Tom Boerwinkle
16. Reggie Theus
15. Toni Kukoc
14. Horace Grant
Horace Grant is one of the most recognizable and beloved Chicago Bulls of all time. Jerry Krause changed the trajectory of the Bulls franchise on draft night in 1987. He traded Olden Polynice for a coveted prospect from Central Arkansas named Scottie Pippen. Krause then paired Pippen with another talented forward by choosing Clemson’s Horace Grant with the 10th overall pick in the draft. Grant would become instrumental to the Bulls rise to dominance with All-NBA defense and unmatched rebounding ability. His skillset complimented that of Pippen and Jordan and he fit in seamlessly with the team. Dennis Rodman was flashier and put up obscene rebounding numbers during the Bulls second three-peat, but one could argue Grant was every bit as vital to Chicago’s first three-peat.
You probably remember Horace Grant’s iconic goggles. Despite laser-corrected eyesight, Grant continued to wear his sport specs to give confidence to kids who needed glasses themselves. He told the story during a candid Q&A on Reddit:
“I got them because I was legally blind. I wore em because of that for a few years. After a few years I got Lasik surgery, but I kept wearing them without the perscription lenses because I had grandparents and parents come up to me and thank me for wearing them. Their kids and grandkids would get made fun of by wearing protective eyewear playing sports, so I kept wearing them to help make it cool to wear goggles for the kids.”
A true gentleman. In that same interview, Grant reveals his most glorious personal achievement of his career. He briefly mentions making the All-Star team in 1994 before going into detail (see below) about his assist of John Paxson’s championship-winning shot in 1993 against the Phoenix Suns. That’s right. Among Grant’s greatest personal achievements was a pass. That says all you need to know about Horace Grant. He made the right plays. He made winning plays. I could tell the story, but Horace tells it better:
“Making the All Star team in 94 was a big deal for me. Saying that, passing that ball in ’93 to John Paxson in Game 6 against the Suns was right up there though — that’s a hell of a moment. That play: BJ Armstrong threw the ball into MJ, they came and forced the ball out of his fans. MJ dribbled it one time and passed it to Scottie. Scottie throws the ball down low to me. I was having a terrible game but I was about to lay the ball up and Ainge was coming to foul me. I was absolutely ready to shoot that. But the Suns were coming at me like flies on manure. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Pax open — everybody knows when Pax is open for a shot, he’s making that shot 95% of the time. I knew that was in as soon as he shot it. Watch Dan Majerle on that shot — he knows it’s going in as soon as it’s released as well.”
From ACC Player of the Year in 1987 to four-time NBA champion. Three championships with the Bulls and another one with the Lakers in 2001. An All-Star and four-time NBA All-Defensive team selection. Horace Grant was thrust into a starting role as a second-year player following the Charles Oakley trade. From there, he never looked back. Horace would go on to lead the Bulls in rebounding for six straight years, three of those years culminating in championships. Without him, MJ and the Bulls may not have three-peated in the first place.
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