Horace Grant was shaken by the untimely passing of former teammate Stacey King in June, but hopes it can spark a reunion between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
King, who played alongside Grant, Jordan and Pippen on the Chicago Bulls’ first three championship squads in the 1990s and then became the team’s color commentator, died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease at only 59 years old.
Jordan and Pippen have been at odds since the release of The Last Dance documentary in 2020, but there does seem to be some hope of a reunion.
Jordan and Charles Barkley recently ended their long feud, and Grant thinks King’s passing could initiate a long-awaited squashing of beef between Pippen and Jordan as well.
“It was great to see MJ and Charles reconnect, because they’d been friends forever,” Grant told Online Casinos Canada. “I hope and pray that the same thing happens with MJ and Pip. I talk to Scottie two or three times a week. I hope they can get this thing together. I’m 61. Pip is 60. MJ is 63. We’re in the twilights of our lives.”
Grant: King’s Passing a Reminder that Life is Short
Grant was a key cog on the Bulls’ first three title teams and made the All-Star team with Chicago in 1993-94 after Jordan’s first retirement.
Grant said the death of King was one of the hardest things he’s ever experienced in his life, and it’s a reminder that Jordan and Pippen should let bygones be bygones.
“What is beef anyway?” Grant said. “Somebody says something negative about you. You respond. And then, let it go. That’s the way I see life. If somebody says something negative that’s not true, then you respond and it’s over with. Let’s go to dinner. Let’s have a cocktail. Life is so short. If anyone looks at the situation with my friend Stacey, my brother, it should come to mind.”
Grant said the key is for the two all-time greats to put their pride aside and recognize each other for their vast accomplishments.
“To be that successful, you have to have an ego,” Grant said. “Even little old me has an ego. So you can imagine those two, what their egos are like. I think it’s more or less being appreciated on both sides, and what they brought to the table.”
Grant: Friends Should Step In and Spark Reunion
Grant believes it will be up to those in the orbit of Jordan and Pippen to facilitate a reunion between the two former Bulls superstars.
They teamed up for one of the most iconic runs in NBA history and Grant is hopeful their differences can be hashed out and put aside.
“I think it’s going to be people around Pip, people around MJ, who have to intervene and get them to sit down and hash out this, I wouldn’t even say, issue,” Grant said. “It’s just messy.”
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