ESPNMAG.com - Born on the Fourth of July: Horace Grant

Horace Grant (7/4/65)
Los Angeles Lakers

/Michael Caulfield/AP

How will you spend the Fourth this year?
My sister, her kids, my brother-in-law and my father are all coming over for a cookout. We're going to barbecue and have some friends from neighborhood over to ride the jet skis.

Does being born on the Fourth of July mean anything special to you?
If you're born on a special day like that, it always means a little more to you. Independence Day, the Declaration of Independence, having a twin brother ... all of that wrapped up into one makes it a great day.

Best Fourth of July memory?
One Fourth of July, when we were home from college, we wanted to have a beer but didn't want to drink alcohol in front of my mother because we were only going on 20. So we walked to my sister's home about a mile away to have a few, but when we got there, all the doors were locked. So we picked the latch, climbed in through the window and sat around the kitchen table having a few beers. We walked back feeling pretty special ... and my mom never found out.

Worst part of having birthday on FOJ?
If you don't have family or friends around, it's tough to find people to spend your birthday with because everyone already has plans.

Are people born on the FOJ different from those with other birthdays?
Most of the people born on the Fourth, including myself and my brother, wear our hearts on our sleeves. We're go-getters. We'll bust our butts to succeed in our professions.

Food, beverage of choice on the Fourth?
I'm getting food catered in. I want my family members to have fun and not worry about cooking. There's going to be shrimp and crab as appetizers, veggies, dip, fried chicken, black eyed peas, ribs, roasted chicken. Oh, and a full open bar.
[At this point, we asked if we could stop by the Grant house for the Fourth.]
Sure, come on over.
[If only Horace knew how serious we were. Ding-dong!]

If you could only pick one on the fourth, would it be: Beach, BBQ, Baseball or Beer?
A BBQ, with family and friends.

American History Quiz

1. Who wrote the national anthem?
2. What does the First Amendment guarantee?
3. Who sewed the American flag?

1. Your guess is as good as mine. [Francis Scott Key]
2. Freedom of Speech.
3. Betsy Ross.

[Horace rebounded nicely to score two out of three. When he finished, we couldn't resist the temptation to blow Harvey's cover. When told that Harvey whiffed three times on the same questions, and then asked us to tell Horace that he had been flawless, Horace broke into a fit of laughter. "Well, I am nine minutes older," he said after catching his breath. "Maybe my brain is a little larger."]