Today, Grant Hill is the second oldest player in the NBA. He has just signed a contract to play for his 4th team — the Los Angeles Clippers. At one time, Grant Hill was the next Michael Jordan.
The acclaim started early for Grant. Hill was a McDolands High School All-American. The son of two well-educated parents, he had his pick of schools when it came time to choice a college. His mother wanted him to attend Georgetown. His father wanted Grant at North Carolina. Hill chose Duke. This would be the beginning of my early disdain for Grant Hill.
It ended up being a solid choice to say the least. He, and his Duke teammates, appeared in two national championship games in the mid-90s. For me, it was the rise of the vaunted Blue Devils. This was before the 24-hour SportsCenter news cycle. But it seems that ESPN and other outlets have not stopped talking about Duke basketball since Hill was in Durham. It feels that way at least.
By the time the 1994 NBA Draft rolled around, Hill was a top prospect once again. Hill was taken 3rd overall by the Detroit Pistons — historically another unlikable outfit. Over his first two seasons Hill would average just over 20 points per game. He was living up to his billing as a potential superstar.
