Following a surprisingly hot start to the season, the Chicago Bulls have recently endured a precipitous fall back to earth, struggling through a prolonged slump that has confounded fans and analysts alike. The team initially defied expectations, bursting out with a 6-1 record—a level of dominance reminiscent of the franchise’s storied 1990s dynasty. This early surge, accomplished without starting shooting guard Coby White, was fueled by a crisp pace-and-space offense, spearheaded by $100 million point guard Josh Giddey, that bested several expected Eastern Conference playoff contenders.
However, since that blazing start, the Bulls have stumbled dramatically, plunging into a miserable stretch that has seen them win just three games while enduring a seven-game losing streak. This confounding period included disheartening defeats against teams considered bottom-feeders, highlighting serious issues beyond mere injury-related absences.
Amidst the turbulence and mounting frustration in the Windy City, one of the franchise’s most revered legends, former All-Star power forward Horace Grant, is urging patience for the team’s talented, yet undeveloped, young core. Grant, who won three consecutive championships during his seven seasons with Chicago from 1987-94, understands better than most the journey required for a young team to transition from promising to dominant.
In an interview with Alex Kirschenbaum of Newsweek Sports, Grant acknowledged the initial success but stressed the inherent youth and immaturity of the current roster as the primary reason for the team’s inconsistency.
“Well, they were winning without Coby,” Grant noted of Chicago’s early luck. “But Coby’s such a dynamic player, I don’t think the Bulls would have sustained that winning without him. And Josh is Josh.”
The team is undeniably young. Key players like White, Tre Jones, Jalen Smith, and Ayo Dosunmu are all 25 or under, as are forwards Isaac Okoro and Patrick Williams, and the highly productive 23-year-old Giddey. Among the top 11 players in the rotation, only starting center Nikola Vucevic (35) and bench wing Kevin Huerter (27) are over the age of 25, underscoring the team’s developmental nature.
Grant, whose championship Bulls twice accomplished a 6-1 or better start (including a robust 10-1 start during the 1992-93 title campaign), stressed that winning at an elite level requires more than just offensive talent; it demands a defensive commitment that the current team has not yet grasped.
“But I think the Bulls, they’re such a young basketball team,” Grant cautioned. “And right now I don’t think they understand the significance of playing great defense — I mean the old saying, ‘Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.’”
He drew a direct parallel to the grind and growing pains his own legendary teams experienced before they became champions. The transition from a talented, high-ceiling team to an actual title contender is a process that takes time and shared maturity.
“I tell people, ‘Give this team a little patience,’ because they are young,” Grant said. “And once they start to mature as a team, keep that team together and you’ll see a different outcome in a year or two. Because it took us, back in the late ’80s, early ’90s, to mature as a team to get over the Pistons and the Knicks.”
The Grant-era Bulls, built around the hyper-athletic core of Grant, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen, eventually evolved into a defensive juggernaut. That trio alone accumulated a combined 23 All-Defensive Team selections, guided by the legendary defensive press implemented by assistant coach Johnny Bach. This defensive foundation instilled a fierce confidence that the current generation has yet to cultivate.
“I tell people all the time, the late ’80s and ’90s Bulls, man, we had an arrogance about us,” Grant explained, detailing the dynasty’s mindset. “But whenever we stepped on the court, it wasn’t that we were going to win. We felt that we could win every game. Our mindset was like, ‘Okay, let’s go and destroy this team so myself, Scottie and MJ rest in the fourth quarter.’ That was our mindset — and to get the bench some more time on the court.”
The 6-foot-10 big man, selected tenth overall in the 1987 NBA Draft out of Clemson, anchored the defense and was often tasked with neutralizing the opposition’s best frontcourt stars, utilizing his impressive verticality and furious aggression in the post.
While Grant eventually departed Chicago as a free agent in 1994, he would go on to win a fourth title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001 and remains deeply connected to the Bulls organization. He currently serves as a special advisor to Bulls COO Michael Reinsdorf, an advisory role that aligns with his recent honor.
The Bulls recently paid the “Begoggled One” tribute by electing him to the franchise’s Ring of Honor Class of 2025, alongside fellow title-era figures John Paxson, Bill Cartwright, Norm Van Lier, Johnny Bach, and Neil Funk. The recognition was a deeply emotional moment for the former star.
“Man it was one of the best weeks of my life — first, being honored with such a great organization,” Grant recalled of the Nov. 22 enshrinement. “Secondly, just reminiscing with guys like Pax and Bill and Neil Funk and the late great Johnny Bach — with his family there. It was so exciting. And plus, all the fans there.”
Off the court, Grant is channeling his knowledge and experience into a new venture. He is set to host a new television interview series for Urban Grind TV, titled Legends In Session, launching around mid-2026. The show will feature conversations with fellow NBA legends, including his former teammates Pippen, Gary Payton, and his twin brother Harvey, focusing on their lives, basketball careers, and the differences between the game then and now.
Grant revealed his motivation for the show: “I just felt that I should have my voice out there a little bit more. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a no-nonsense type of guy, I wear my heart on my sleeve and just have a story to tell. This TV series is just going to be my journey from my adolescence and my growth [in] college, 17 years in the NBA, and my guests are going to do the same.”
Ultimately, Grant’s message to the current Chicago Bulls team and its fanbase is one of tough love coupled with historical perspective: the road to contention is not swift, and the keys to greatness—namely, a commitment to defense and shared maturity—are earned through sustained effort, time, and patience.
