"I covered their a**es when they got tight " - Michael Jordan once publicly criticized Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant at a hotel bar in Orlando

Michael Jordan once made headlines 10 months after his first retirement in October 1993 when he publicly criticized Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. Jordan won three straight NBA championships with Pippen and Grant as part of the Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1993.

According to The Chicago Tribune, Jordan was quoted by the New York Post in August 1994 saying things about his former teammates. He was at a bar in Orlando and was surrounded by a crowd when he made the comments.

"I covered their a**es when they got tight at the end of games, and I had to overcome fourth-quarter deficits all by myself. It bothered my father a lot, just as it bothered me, to hear them bitching about not getting enough credit or not getting enough shots, or squawking about the supposed preferential treatment I was getting from Phil (Jackson)," Jordan said.

The Chicago Tribune cited a close friend of Michael Jordan, who was surprised that his speech was leaked because he was not being interviewed. Jordan spoke to Ahmad Rashad to clear things up immediately via WMVP-AM in Chicago.

Here's what Rashad said on the radio station:

"I talked to Michael this morning. I called to tell him about it, and he said, 'What?! We had a couple of beers the other night and were just talking.' He said he didn't know he was writing an article. When I read him the article, he said the anger and emotions in the article were just not there. He said he was just saying things he had said before. The things said about Scottie and Horace have never been a secret. But there was no strong emotion to it at all."

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What did Horace Grant say about Michael Jordan's harsh comments?

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune after the comments made by Michael Jordan, Horace Grant didn't make it a big deal. However, Grant also made a subtle jab at his former teammate about winning those three championships together.

"What it sounds like to me is something Michael said without realizing he was being quoted. But I don't blame him. The thing I would say though is, 'How many championships did Michael win before Scottie and I got here?'" Grant said.

To answer Horace Grant's question, Michael Jordan did not win a single championship without him and Scottie Pippen. Jordan did win three more with Pippen and Dennis Rodman from 1996 to 1998.

"The Last Dance" documentary showcased the Chicago Bulls' final season, which created a divide or at least opened up some old wounds. Pippen was unhappy to be part of it, with Grant following suit to a point wherein he called MJ a "liar and a "snitch."