Seventeen-year NBA veteran Horace Grant, who turns 59 today, was known as a rebounding-machine power forward who won four championships alongside the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal. He was also remembered as one to rock 1980’s/90’s style goggles throughout his career.

From the day he made his professional debut with the Chicago Bulls in 1987, Grant didn’t need corrective eyewear on the court, until the team’s ophthalmologist realized his patient’s vision was failing him in 1992. From then on, Grant donned thick, white, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-like goggles, a move that concerned Bulls fans over their hard-nosed forward’s health.

In an Ask Me Anything on the Chicago Bulls’ Reddit page, however, Grant revealed he did not need the goggles for the second portion of his career, but kept wearing them to support children who may have been made fun of for their own prescription glasses or eyewear.

 

“I got them because I was legally blind. I wore em because of that for a few years. After a few years I got Lasik surgery, but I kept wearing them without the prescription lenses because I had grandparents and parents come up to me and thank me for wearing them. Their kids and grandkids would get made fun of by wearing protective eyewear playing sports, so I kept wearing them to help make it cool to wear goggles for the kids.”

 

Horace Grant wore his corrective eyewear from 1992-2004, performing in the NBA Finals numerous times with them–the league’s biggest stage. The goggles were no problem for Grant; he was an All-Star in 1994 averaging a career-high 15.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

We salute you, Horace.