The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
By Cal Durrett
Greatest NBA Player #48: Horace Grant-118.23
Former all-star Horace Grant doesn’t immediately come to mind when discussing the greatest players ever, but he makes the top 50 in win shares. During the late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, Grant was known as a defensive-minded power forward who was integral to several great teams.
The first of those teams was the Chicago Bulls, where he served as the team’s third-best player behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen during their first 3-peat before later being replaced by Dennis Rodman. In the summer of 1994, Grant signed with the Orlando Magic, joining a young Shaq and a pre-injury Penny Hardaway. He helped the young Magic make the NBA Finals for the first time ever, while it was his fourth straight appearance.
The Magic were bested by the Houston Rockets, and Grant would later be traded to the Seattle Supersonics and then to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he served as a backup during the team’s legendary 2001 run to the championship. He would also make another NBA Finals appearance in 2004 and nearly win a fifth title had it not been for those pesky Detroit Pistons.
Overall, being a key part of six teams that went to the NBA Finals was impressive, to say the least. Moreover, Grant amassed more than 13,000 points, nearly 10,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocks, and 1,000 steals as a high-level role player. Thus, it makes sense that he would be as high as he is in win shares.