Grant Hill, American basketball player and actor
Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who is a co-owner and executive of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Duke University and is widely considered one of its greatest players. After playing college basketball for four years, Hill played in the NBA for four teams in his professional career: the Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers. For most of his career, he played the small forward position. Hill also works as a basketball analyst for CBS and Turner Sports.
Hill played basketball for the Duke Blue Devils for four years. He was the 1994 ACC Player of the Year, a two-time NCAA All-American, and a two-time NCAA champion. Hill was touted as one of the best players in Duke history and as one of the greatest college basketball players of his era.
After graduating from Duke in 1994, Hill was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the third overall pick in the NBA draft. He was the co-winner of the 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Early in his NBA career, Hill was widely considered to be 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. However, the trajectory of his career was altered by a 2000 ankle injury. The injury continued to plague 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 during his tenure with the Phoenix Suns. In the 12 seasons following 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. He 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.
An ownership group including Hill and Tony Ressler purchased the Atlanta Hawks on June 24, 2015.