Grant Hill

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Lore & Background

A four-year player at Duke University, Hill was touted as one of the greatest college basketball players ever. In the NBA, he played for the Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers, mostly at the small forward position. Hill is a seven-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA selection, and a three-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award. In 2018, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The 1994 ACC Player of the Year, a two-time NCAA All-American, and a two-time NCAA champion, Hill is generally considered one of the best ever to play for the Duke Blue Devils. After graduating in 1994, Hill was selected by the Pistons with the third overall pick in the NBA draft. He was the co-winner of the 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year Award with Jason Kidd. Early in his NBA career, Hill was widely considered one of the best all-around players in the game, often leading his team in points, rebounds and assists. In his first six seasons in the NBA, Hill averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game and made the Eastern Conference All-Star Team five times. An ankle injury in 2000 changed the trajectory of his career. It plagued him for several years, led to a March 2003 surgery that was followed by life-threatening complications, and forced him to miss the entire 2003–04 season. In 2005, Hill made the Eastern Conference All-Star Team as a member of the Magic. He played in the Western Conference Finals in 2010 with the Phoenix Suns. In the 12 seasons after his ankle injury, Hill averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. On June 1, 2013, Hill announced his retirement from the NBA. In 2015, Hill and Tony Ressler were part of an ownership group that purchased the Atlanta Hawks. In 2023, Hill and his wife, Tamia became part owners of MLS club Orlando City and NWSL club, Orlando Pride.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Grant Hill's Orlando tenure is defined by resilience rather than the immediate dominance fans expected. After the sign-and-trade deal that brought him to Florida alongside Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace leaving Detroit, the plan was for Hill and Tracy McGrady to lead the Magic back to glory. However, the ankle injury from his final Pistons game followed him into Orlando. He played just four games in his first season there and 14 games in the following campaign before undergoing major surgery. The turning point came years later when he finally recovered enough to make an All-Star team again in 2005, proving that even after life-threatening complications and missing a full season, he could still perform at an elite level for the franchise.

Reader's Guide

Hill sprained his left ankle on April 15, 2000, 7 days before the start of the playoffs. He continued to play until the first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, in which his injured ankle got worse, and Hill was forced to leave halfway through game 2. The source does not specify whether Hill was a restricted or unrestricted free agent when he signed with the Magic, nor does it mention any sign-and-trade or draft pick details. The source does not mention any trade involving Jason Richardson or Golden State.

Did You Know?

• Hill was the first rookie to lead an NBA All-Star fan balloting in 1994–95 with 1,289,585 votes.
• He became the first player since Larry Bird in 1989–90 to average 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a season.
• Hill won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team.
• He is the eighth player in Duke history to have his jersey number (33) retired.