From completing a three-peat together to their public feud, the relationship between Horace Grant and Michael Jordan has come a long way. It all started with ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance,’ where in Episode 6 Jordan blamed Grant for leaking locker room information to Sam Smith, author of ‘The Jordan Rules.’ But Grant denied the claims. He stated that, despite his friendship with Smith, he never “divulged” any inside information. And on followed the many surprising instance-revelations.

Back in 2020, Grant made an appearance on Chicago’s ‘ESPN 1000’ radio to address the allegations. He didn’t hold back, openly challenging Jordan’s claims. “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],” Grant declared.

The Jordan Rules wasn’t a very flattering output for Michael Jordan, covering the Chicago Bulls icon’s relationships in the franchise and his staunch stance to win. The author, Sam Smith, was a good friend of Grant’s and Grant did not exactly share a brotherly dynamic with Jordan even after playing seasons on the same team.

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In one instance, he confirmed a story from Smith about Jordan taking his food away after a bad game, which he did not take lightly. Grant’s response was clear: “Anybody [who] knows me, as a rookie, if anybody comes up and tries to snatch my food away, I’m going to do my best to beat their a**.” And Grant did get back verbally. “If you want it, you come and get it,” he recalls to have said and Jordan did not move, instead continued from afar.

Apart from that, the two have been in disagreement on numerous occasions. He even stated that while the documentary was entertaining, it lacked realness. He wasn’t on board calling ‘Last Dance’ a documentary because it was a one-person narrative and there wasn’t any portrayal of other Chicago Bull players in much good light. But despite all of it, Grant did not want to take the locker room talks anywhere they needn’t be.

Grant clarified his relationship with Sam Smith, emphasizing their long-standing friendship. He stressed that the sanctity of the locker room was never breached by him. Grant highlighted that Smith, being an investigative reporter, required multiple sources to write his book. He questioned why Jordan singled him out, suggesting that the accusations were baseless.

Sam Smith opens up on Horace Grant and Michael Jordan beef

During an appearance on San Francisco’s 95.7 ‘The Game,’ Sam Smith dismissed the idea that Horace Grant was his source for ‘The Jordan Rules’ as “nonsense.” He emphasized the importance of multiple perspectives in his reporting.

Interestingly, Smith reflected on the book’s impact, noting that it revealed a different side of Jordan that contrasted with his carefully crafted public image. ‘The Jordan Rules’ highlighted Jordan’s intense and sometimes harsh personality, which surprised many fans who only saw his positive media portrayal. On the ‘Bonta, Steiny and Guru show’, Smith remarked, “Actually, Michael should have liked Horace in that respect.” He also pointed out that Grant, much like Bill Cartwright, wasn’t afraid to challenge Jordan, and sometimes, MJ backed off.
Smith also delved into the personalities of both players. He explained that while Grant often clashed with the 6× NBA champ it was because of their contrasting temperaments. Michael’s assertive and sometimes abrasive nature made him difficult to get along with, whereas Horace was more direct in his confrontations.

Grant had revealed that the last time he texted MJ was back three years before the documentary was released. No new developments seem to be in place since. Except, the director of Last Dance, Jason Hehir takes the responsibility of where his creative freedom led. “Be upset with me,” he says instead of directing frustration towards MJ or NBA.