Former Chicago Bulls forward Horace Grant hit back at Michael Jordan in an interview on ESPN Radio 1000's Kap and Co. show on Tuesday, calling his former teammate a "snitch" and vehemently denying Jordan's allegation in the 10-part documentary The Last Dance that he was the source for reporter Sam Smith's The Jordan Rules book.
"If MJ had a grudge with me, let's settle this like men," Grant told the show. "Let's talk about it. Or we can settle it another way. But yet and still, he goes out and puts this lie out that I was the source behind [the book]. Sam and I have always been great friends. We're still great friends. But the sanctity of that locker room, I would never put anything personal out there. The mere fact that Sam Smith was an investigative reporter. That he had to have two sources, two, to write a book, I guess. Why would MJ just point me out?
"It's only a grudge, man. I'm telling you, it was only a grudge. And I think he proved that during this so-called 'documentary.' When if you say something about him, he's going to cut you off, he's going to try to destroy your character."
Grant spent six seasons alongside Jordan from 1987 to 1993, winning three NBA titles. He left the Bulls after the 1993-94 season, signing as a free agent with the Orlando Magic.
During the show, Grant made mention of how some of Jordan's close friendships have ended in estrangement over the years.
"Charles Barkley, they've been friends for over 20, 30 years," Grant said. "And he said something about Michael's management with the Charlotte Bobcats or the Charlotte Hornets, and then they haven't spoken since then. And my point is, he said that I was the snitch, but yet and still after 35 years, he brings up his rookie year going into one of his teammate's rooms and seeing coke, and weed and women. My point is: Why the hell did he want to bring that up? What's that got to do with anything? I mean, if you want to call somebody a snitch, that's a damn snitch right there."
While Grant said he found The Last Dance entertaining, he questioned the veracity of how he and some of his teammates were portrayed.
"I would say [it was] entertaining, but we know, who was there as teammates, that about 90 percent of it - I don't know if I can say it on air, but B.S. in terms of the realness of it," Grant said. "It wasn't real -- because a lot of things [Jordan] said to some of his teammates, that his teammates went back at him. But all of that was kind of edited out of the documentary, if you want to call it a documentary."
Grant said The Last Dance brought back unpleasant memories of Jordan's bullying.
"He felt that he could dominate me, but that was sadly mistaken," Grant said. "Because whenever he went at me, I went at him right back. But in terms of Will Perdue, Steve Kerr and the young man, Scott Burrell, that was heartbreaking [to watch]. To see a guy, a leader, to go at those guys like that. I understand in terms of practicing, you have a push and shove here and there, but outright punching and things of that nature."
Grant, who spent 17 seasons in the NBA with the Bulls, Magic, Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Lakers, took particular umbrage with the portrayal of Scottie Pippen, especially when it came to him sitting out for the final 1.8 seconds of Game 3 of the Bulls' 1994 playoff series against the New York Knicks.
"MJ wasn't even on the team. Why was that in there?" Grant said. "We handled that that year really well as a team. Pip knows that he was wrong for doing it, but yet and still we went after the game. Bill Cartwright stood up and said what he had to say, and then we handled it, it was over. It was over. We go on to take the Knicks to seven games. It was over. Why bring that up? That's my question to everybody out there who's listening."
Grant told the show that he last spoke to Jordan about three years ago and thought the two were on good terms and hopes they still are.
"The crazy thing, for one of my charities, he sent me an autographed pair of shoes," Grant said. "I don't understand it, if he had some difference with me, he could have texted me, he could have called me, the whole nine yards. But if I see him today, we would hopefully pay our respects to each other because we went through three championships together. But if not, believe me, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it."
Asked why he kept referring to The Last Dance as a "so-called documentary," Grant says he couldn't trust the final edit that belonged to Jordan.
"When that so-called documentary is about one person, basically, and he has the last word on what's going to be put out there...it's not a documentary," Grant said. "It's his narrative of what happens in the last, quote-unquote, dance. That's not a documentary, because a whole bunch of things was cut out, edited out. So that's why I call it a so-called documentary."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRzbi5jYS9ob3JhY2UtZ3JhbnQtZGFtbi1zbmlpdGNoLW1pY2hhZWwtam9yZGFuLWxpZWQtaW4tdGhlLWxhc3QtZGFuY2UtMS4xNDc3MjEx0gFkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudHNuLmNhL2hvcmFjZS1ncmFudC1kYW1uLXNuaWl0Y2gtbWljaGFlbC1qb3JkYW4tbGllZC1pbi10aGUtbGFzdC1kYW5jZS0xLjE0NzcyMTE_dHNuLWFtcA?oc=5
2020-05-19 21:54:33Z
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