• Biography Home
• NBA Career
• Professional Highlights and Statistics
• Duke University

NBA Career

The Grant Hill story is one of faith, guts, family, friends, commitment and the incredible will to play basketball. He was born with a competitive spirit that sent him to the top of ranks of basketball and into the upper echelon of humanity. Grant has faced adversity head on and will continue to persevere…until further notice.

After undergoing four surgeries and three years of extensive and demanding rehabilitation, Grant will start the 2004-2005 NBA season with a renewed hope and a re-built left ankle. Although he has endured pain, heartache and frustration, Grant is determined and committed to playing at the high level he and basketball fans are accustomed to seeing and making a successful comeback. While most professional athletes would have said, “The heck with this,” and just retire to a comfortable lifestyle, Grant is exceptional and is hungrier and more committed than ever.

A seven-time NBA All-Star, Grant is a coach’s dream. On the basketball court, he amplifies the talents of his teammates and he’s a winner as part of two elusive NCAA Championships. At 6’8”, Grant can play point guard, shooting guard and small forward with equal adeptness. He is unselfish, possessing a strong work ethic, and shows creativity with the basketball. He is a confident leader who rises to the occasion in close ball games. Off the court, Grant is humble and is a true believer in community investment.

Grant compiled a most impressive collegiate career at Duke University, winning back-to-back NCAA championships his freshman and sophomore years (1991 and 1992), plus a host of other national collegiate awards including the Henry Iba Corinthian Award as the nation’s top defensive player (1993). In his senior year, Grant was named a unanimous first team All-American, was named to the NCAA All-Tournament and was the NCAA Southeastern Regional MVP. Additionally, Grant was Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year and led Duke in scoring (17.4 per game), minutes (35.7), assists (176) and steals (64).

After graduating from Duke, Grant was the number one pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1994 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the most exciting and well-liked players in the league. For his first two seasons in the league, Grant led all NBA players – including Michael Jordan, David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal – in All-Stars votes. The NBA Rookie of the Year, Grant was also a member of gold medal winning Dream Teams III and IV, representing Team USA at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and 2000 Games in Barcelona.

After six highly productive All-Star years with the Pistons, Grant moved on, signing with the Orlando Magic in 2000. Grant hoped to bring his intense play to the Magic, but his efforts were thwarted by an injury to his left ankle, first diagnosed at the end of the 1999-2000 season. His first surgery was in April 2000 to repair his medial malleous on his left ankle. He appeared in just four games in his first season with the Magic before ending the season prematurely with an unhealthy ankle. He had his second surgery in January 2001 and vowed to return for the start of his second season with the Magic.

After a nine-month rehabilitation process, Grant returned to the court for the 2001-2002 season. During his time away from the court, Grant developed a new hunger…a desire to be more than a scorer and the desire to win. The time spent away from basketball enabled him to re-evaluate what was important to him and the best way to make use of his talents to achieve the ultimate goal. Grant used his injury as an opportunity to get better, reflecting on how he can be a better team member, watching his fellow teammates, as well as being a good leader. He used the time to dig deep into himself, analyze his game, his leadership, his role on the Magic, as well as his commitment to winning.

Grant started the season feeling great and the knowledge of his game was clearly reflected in his play. He competed in 14 games, averaging 16.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg., 4.6 apg., 175 steals, in 36.6 minutes per game. He led the team with five double-doubles, and in late November, began to feel the intense pain in his ankle yet again. Testing and x-rays were performed on his ankle and in early December, Grant was placed on the injured reserve list. Shortly after the Magic announced that Grant would be out for the remainder of the season and underwent a third surgery to remove a bone spur in his ankle.

After undergoing a third surgery at the end of the 2001-2002 season, Grant rehabbed during the off-season in an effort to come back for the 2002-2003 season. In the first several games of that season, Grant made a remarkable return. In game one against the Philadelphia 76ers, Grant played 33 minutes and scored 18 points in an Orlando Magic victory. In the second game, Grant played 27 minutes and scored 17 points and in the third, Grant played 33 minutes and was leading scorer with 27 points. What an inspiring and thrilling debut. However, as the season progressed, his ankle regressed and by mid-January, after consulting with a team of doctors, Grant made his decision to end his season. Although the pain, heartache, and frustration were profound Grant was more determined and committed than ever to be successful and play at a high level and opted for yet a fourth surgery on his left ankle.

The fourth surgical procedure consisted of removal of three screws that had previously been placed in Grant’s ankle, removal of the entire non-union bone, and application of a steel plate with screws to reinforce the stress fracture. In addition, a genetically engineered material, which helps make bone form, was added to his ankle to assist in the healing process. Also, an osteotmy of the heel was performed simultaneously to realign Grant’s left leg. Because of the extensive nature of the injury and ultimate fifth surgery due to a nearly fatal staph infection, Grant spent the entire 2003-2004 season rehabilitating his ankle.

And then it finally happened – the start of a Magic season with a healthy Grant in the lineup. What Grant accomplished during the 2004-05 season was nothing short of miraculous. Averaging 19.7 points, shooting 50.7 percent, playing 39.4 minutes per game and making the All-Star team on his rebuilt ankle is evidence of just how magnificent a player Grant was prior to the injury. After playing just a total of 47 games the previous three seasons, Grant finally was able to stay healthy in his fourth season with the Magic. Just before the NBA All-Star Game, Grant scored 39 points against the Los Angeles Clippers, affirming that he had finally made the arduous ascent back. With 10 games left in the season, and Grant’s ankle beginning to feel the wear and tear of a long season – playing nearly 40 minutes per game – the Magic decided to error on the side of caution and not risk damaging the Grant’s left ankle. As such, they placed Grant on the injured list. However, despite the early exit, Grant was able to show loyal fans and critics that he could return to a form once thought to be lost after four ankle surgeries.

For his remarkable efforts on and off the court during that season, Grant was named the 2004-2005 NBA Sportsmanship Award for his “sportsmanship, ethical behavior, fair play and integrity.”

The 2005-2006 season was a unfortunate one for Hill due to many injuries, causing Grant to become sidelined for most of the first half of the year and only being able to play 21 games. Although Grant has battled many ankle injuries throughout the recent years this specific injury was diagnosed as a sports hernia due to uneven pressure on Grant’s feet while running. Hill underwent surgery and was considering retiring but decided to go through extensive rehab yet again and return to the Magic for another season. In the 21 games played, Grant averaged 15.1 Points per Game (PPG), 2.3 Assists per Game (APG) and 3.8 Rebounds Per Game (RPG).

In May of 2006, Hill was named the recipient of the 2006 Magic Johnson Award, awarded by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The award honors an NBA player who combines excellence on the court with outstanding cooperation with the media and, by extension, the fans.

In the 2006-07 season, Grant was a model of health, and for the first time as a member of the Orlando Magic, he played into April and played meaningful games, leading the team to their first playoff appearance since the 2002-2003 season. In his first playoff appearance since 2000, Grant averaged 15.0 Points per Game (PPG), 3.8 Assists per Game (APG) and 5.5 Rebounds Per Game (RPG). Grant scored a season high 25 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in a close game against the Sixers. In addition to Grants spectacular play in the playoffs Hill averaged 14.4 Points per Game (PPG), 2.1 Assists per Game (APG) and 3.6 Rebounds Per Game (RPG) during the 2006-2007 season. He played in 65 games which are two short of the highest amount of games played over a single season as a member of the Magic. Grant played in his longest game since 2000 with 48 minutes played. Hill ranked 20th in the NBA in Field-Goal percentage with .518 which is his highest (FG%) in his career.

With the severity and recurrence of Grant’s injuries, the easy option would have been to yield to the pain and ultimately give up. However, Grant, the consummate professional, was not one to quit. He has tremendous strength, resolve and resilience and is truly an inspirational athlete who overcame tremendous obstacles in the pursuit of his goal of contributing to his team. Five ankle surgeries, one staph infection, a sports hernia, countless hours of rehab, false starts and moments of self reflection gave Grant a new-found perspective on life. The leadership Grant brings to a team, both on and off the court is immeasurable and his remarkable and miraculous comeback serves as an affirmation that all of the hard work and sacrifice were worth the effort.

After many enticing offers Grant Hill signed a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns on July 11th 2007 just 5 days after the free agency period began. Hill wanted to play where he could make a significant impact on the fortunes of the team, and that he did. In his 13th season in the NBA, Hill averaged a highly respectable 31.7 minutes, 5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 13.1 points per game. In a game in New York against the Knicks, the healthy Hill reminded sports fans that he still had the goods, scoring 28 points – nine in the fourth quarter – to help the Suns defeat in Knicks

Another highlight during the 2007-08 season for Hill was being honored for the second time in his career as the recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award (Joe Dumars Trophy). This marks the first time that a player has received the award more than once. The NBA will donate $25,000 on behalf of Hill to HopeKids, a non-profit organization based out of Phoenix which provides ongoing events and activities along with a support community for children with cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions. Additionally, Grant was also the recipient of the 2007-08 Dan Majerle Hustle Award which is presented to the Suns player who most personifies the qualities of Dan Majerle, who, as Phoenix Suns Chairman and CEO Jerry Colangelo said “gave maximum effort in every game, every practice… in everything he did.”