Grant Hill was one of the most exciting young players of the 1990s and was named the league’s second-best superstar behind Michael Jordan. Unfortunately, injuries tarnished his superstar status for the rest of his career.
In the early 1990s, Grant Hill was a superstar talent at Duke University. Almost every college basketball fan saw from early on that Hill was headed for NBA stardom. He lived up to the hype when he was drafted in 1994 and was named an All-Star four times from 1995 to 1998.
He appeared in three more All-Star Games during his career, but unfortunately an ankle injury sustained in 2000 plagued him for the rest of his career. Many considered him a superstar and were excited about his partnership with Tracy McGrady, a rising star on par with Kobe Bryant at the time.
Like much of his career, Hill was unable to make the most of his partnership with McGrady. Hill found his footing with the Phoenix Suns in 2007, but his role was as a role player. He retired in 2013 after a season with the Los Angeles Clippers, ending his career with a good resume. He also expressed about Charles Barkley that he might have deserved more recognition.
As a player who joined the league in the late 1990s, Paul Pierce was completely captivated by the Grant Hill hype. For the better part of a decade, basketball fans were familiar with Hill and his potential to succeed Michael Jordan as the face of the league.
While growing up in high school and college, Pierce wanted to be like Hill. He imitated Hill’s style of play, which improved him as a player. Pierce was a top prospect in 1998, but fell in the draft due to the presence of Dirk Nowitzki.
Many may scoff at the idea that Hill was a better player than Pierce, but at the time it was almost unanimous.
Pierce now has a championship and a Finals MVP award, but he always gave Hill flowers. Back in 2018, Pierce made sure to air his thoughts on Hill’s Hall of Fame induction, telling people why the seven-time All-Star deserves to be inducted.
“I patterned my game after Grant Hill. You know, I watched him all the time when he was at Duke. Every night, every time he played, everything. He was one of the first players to handle the ball as a forward, run the ball, pass everything like a guard,” Pierce said on ESPN’s The Jump in 2018.
“I remember when I played against him as a rookie, he completely disabled me…I remember thinking to myself, ‘This guy is almost unstoppable.'” He deserved it all, as he was on his way to becoming the league’s best player alongside Michael Jordan in his prime. ”
Today, people know Hill for his work as an NBA game analyst on NBC. At the same time, Hill is part of the Atlanta Hawks ownership group and co-owner of two North American soccer clubs.
Thankfully, many of his colleagues never forgot to give him well-deserved flowers. Despite LeBron James’ rise to superstardom, many still give Hill credit for filling the classic point forward role before James did.
Now, with access to more game footage, young players can watch Hill’s impressive performances with the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic. He deserved all the hype and it’s a shame he didn’t get the credit he deserved.