Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He is a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a part-owner of Orlando City SC in Major League Soccer (MLS) and Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). He is also part of a group that bought the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. Hill works as a basketball analyst for CBS, NBC, and Turner Sports.

He played college basketball for four years at Duke University and was considered one of the greatest college players ever. In the NBA, he played for the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Clippers, mostly as a small forward. Hill was selected to the NBA All-Star Team seven times, named to the All-NBA Team five times, and won the NBA Sportsmanship Award three times. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

At Duke, Hill was named the 1994 ACC Player of the Year, a two-time NCAA All-American, and a two-time NCAA champion. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in Duke history.

After graduating in 1994, Hill was chosen third overall in the NBA draft by the Pistons. He shared the 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year Award with Jason Kidd. Early in his NBA career, Hill was known as one of the best all-around players, often leading his team in points, rebounds, and assists. In his first six seasons, he averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game and was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team five times.

An injury to his ankle in 2000 changed the course of his career. The injury caused problems for several years, led to surgery in 2003 that had serious complications, and made him miss the 2003–04 season entirely. In 2005, Hill was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team while playing for the Magic. He reached the Western Conference Finals in 2010 with the Phoenix Suns. After the injury, Hill averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game over 12 seasons. He retired from the NBA on June 1, 2013.

In 2015, Hill and Tony Ressler joined a group that bought the Atlanta Hawks. In 2023, Hill and his wife, Tamia, became part owners of MLS team Orlando City and NWSL team Orlando Pride.

College career

When it was time to choose a college, Hill's mother told the Fox Sports documentary Beyond the Glory that she wanted him to attend Georgetown, while his father preferred the University of North Carolina. Hill chose Duke University, where he played for four years with the Blue Devils and won national titles in 1991 and 1992. Duke became the first Division I program to win two national championships in a row since UCLA in 1966–73. Despite losing two key players, Christian Laettner (in 1992) and Bobby Hurley (who later played in the NBA), Hill led Duke to the championship game again in 1994 but lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks. Hill won the Henry Iba Corinthian Award as the nation's top defensive player in 1993 and was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1994. During his college career, Hill became the first player in ACC history to score more than 1,900 points, grab 700 rebounds, record 400 assists, make 200 steals, and block 100 shots. Because of his success, Hill became the eighth player in Duke history to have his jersey number (33) retired. After his freshman season at Duke, Hill played on the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba. As an amateur, Hill also helped prepare and practice with a group of college players who later played on the U.S. men's basketball team, known as the "Dream Team," for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Hill is well-known for his role in the Hail Mary play during the NCAA tournament regional final against Kentucky in 1992, a game often considered one of the greatest in college basketball history. With Duke trailing 103–102 in overtime and only 2.1 seconds left, Hill threw an inbounds pass 75 feet to Laettner, who dribbled once, spun, and made a game-winning shot just outside the free-throw line as time expired. Hill later created a film titled Duke 91 & 92: Back to Back about the team's back-to-back championships and this famous play. In 2016, Hill was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame.

Hill is considered one of the best players in Duke history, with many calling him one of the greatest college basketball players of his time. In 2002, Hill was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team, which honored the fifty greatest players in ACC history.

Professional career

In 1994, Hill graduated from Duke University. He was then selected by the Detroit Pistons with the third pick in the NBA draft. During his NBA career, Hill primarily played the small forward position. In his first season, he averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.77 steals per game. He became the first Pistons rookie since Isiah Thomas in 1981–82 to score 1,000 points. Hill shared the NBA Rookie of the Year Award with Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, making him the first Piston since Dave Bing in 1966–67 to win the award. He also won the Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award. Hill was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1997 and to the All-NBA Second Team in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000. He regularly played in the NBA All-Star Game and was the first rookie to lead the NBA All-Star fan voting in 1994–95 with 1,289,585 votes, narrowly defeating Shaquille O'Neal. He also became the first rookie in any of the four major professional sports leagues to lead all-star fan voting.

In the 1995–96 season, Hill again led the All-Star fan voting, this time defeating Michael Jordan, who had returned to the league after retiring in 1993. During that season, Hill led the NBA in triple-doubles (10). He also won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta as part of the U.S. men’s basketball team. He had the team’s fifth-highest scoring average (9.7) and led the team in steals (18). In the 1996–97 season, Hill averaged 21.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He became the first player since Larry Bird in 1989–90 to average 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in a season. This achievement was not repeated until Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double in the 2016–17 NBA season. Hill again led the league in triple-doubles, with 13 triple-doubles, which made up 35% of the league’s total that season. He was named Player of the Month for January and received the NBA’s IBM Award, given to the player with the most significant statistical contributions to his team. Hill finished third in MVP voting, behind Karl Malone and Michael Jordan.

Like Scottie Pippen with the Bulls, Hill played as a "point forward" in Detroit, leading the Pistons’ offense. Between the 1995–96 and 1998–99 seasons, Hill led the league in assists per game among non-guards for four consecutive seasons. In the lockout-shortened 1999 season, Hill led his team in points, rebounds, and assists for the third time, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the only players in NBA history at the time to achieve this more than once. Hill and Chamberlain were the only players in league history to lead their teams in scoring, rebounding, and assists per game three times. Hill was selected for the 1998 FIBA World Championship, but no NBA players participated in the tournament due to the lockout.

In the 1999–2000 season, Hill averaged 25.8 points, shooting 49% from the field, the season’s third-highest scoring average, behind MVP Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. He averaged 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. However, the Pistons did not advance far in the playoffs, losing in the first round in 1996, 1997, and 1999, or missing the playoffs entirely in 1994–95 and 1997–98. In the 2000 playoffs, Hill suffered a left ankle sprain on April 15, 2000, just seven days before the playoffs began. His injury worsened during the first-round series against the Miami Heat, forcing him to leave the game early in the second match. The Heat swept the Pistons, 3–0. Hill was initially selected for the 2000 Olympics U.S. team but could not play due to his injury. This injury significantly limited his performance for many years.

Before his ankle injury, Hill had accumulated 9,393 points, 3,417 rebounds, and 2,720 assists in his first six seasons. Only Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Luka Doncic, and LeBron James have surpassed these numbers after their first six seasons in NBA history.

As an unrestricted free agent, Hill planned to join the Orlando Magic. On August 3, 2000, a sign-and-trade deal allowed Hill to receive a more lucrative contract while the Pistons received compensation. The Pistons signed Hill to a seven-year, $92.8 million contract and traded him to Orlando for Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace. The Magic hoped Hill would team up with rising star Tracy McGrady to return the team to prominence. However, Hill struggled with ankle injuries, playing in only four games in his first season with the Magic, 14 games in his second, and 29 games in his third. He missed the entire 2003–04 season due to injury. Despite missing time, Hill averaged 18.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per 36 minutes during the 2002–03 season. Meanwhile, the Pistons, who had defeated the Magic in the 2003 playoffs, lost to the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals but won the 2004 NBA championship.

In March 2003, Hill underwent surgery to re-break and realign his ankle. Five days after the surgery, he developed a high fever and convulsions. Doctors discovered he had contracted a life-threatening MRSA infection. He was hospitalized for a week and required intravenous antibiotics for six months.

In the 2004–05 season, Hill played 67 games for the Magic despite a bruised left shin. He averaged 19.7 points per game on a .509 field goal percentage. Fans voted him an All-Star starter, and he led the Eastern Conference All-Star Team to victory over the West. After the season, Hill received the Joe Dumars Trophy, awarded to the NBA Sportsmanship Award winner.

In the 2005–06 season, Hill was frequently injured due to nagging groin issues, limiting him to 21 games. He underwent surgery for a sports hernia and considered retirement if another surgery was needed

Executive career

On June 24, 2015, the NBA Board of Governors approved a sale of the Atlanta Hawks team for $850 million to a group led by Tony Ressler. Hill was part of that group and became a shared owner of the team.

On April 3, 2021, USA Basketball named Hill as the 2021–24 managing director of the USA Men's National Team. Hill took over this role from Jerry Colangelo after the Tokyo Olympics.

In January 2024, John P. Angelos agreed to sell the Baltimore Orioles for $1.725 billion to a group led by David Rubenstein. The group included Hill, former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke, Cal Ripken, New York financial manager Michael Arougheti, and business owner Michael Bloomberg.

Broadcasting career

Beginning in 2013, Hill has worked as a host for NBA Inside Stuff on NBA TV. He also serves as a sports broadcaster for CBS. In 2015, Hill joined the main announcing team for CBS and Turner Sports' team coverage of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, working alongside longtime members Jim Nantz and Bill Raftery. Hill also works as an NBA analyst on TNT.

After losing NBA rights, Hill signed a long-term contract with TNT Sports to participate in their expanded college basketball coverage. In this role, Hill will continue as the co-main analyst for the NCAA tournament, while also broadcasting select games from the Big East and the Big 12.

Hill joined NBC as a game analyst for the NBA after the playoffs, while his colleague, Reggie Miller, was added to the lead game analyst position.

Sponsorships and paid endorsements

• In the 1990s, Sprite’s longest advertising campaign was called "Grant Hill Drinks Sprite," which ran at the same time as its "Obey Your Thirst" campaign. The campaign used humor to show how Sprite was connected to Hill’s athletic abilities.
• Hill worked as a spokesperson for McDonald’s, the watchmaker TAG Heuer, and sportswear brands Fila, Adidas, and Nike.
• In 2014, Hill appeared in advertisements for AT&T and Microsoft alongside his wife, Tamia.

In television and film

• In 1995, Hill appeared in an episode of the FOX sitcom Living Single. In the episode, Hill (playing himself) had a fast-paced romance with magazine owner/publisher Khadijah James (Queen Latifah).
• In 1998, he appeared in an episode of Home Improvement as part of the show’s segment Tool Time.
• Hill is shown in the music video for the song "Rockstar" by Nickelback.
• Hill gave an award at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards alongside talk show host Ricki Lake.
• The March 13, 2011, broadcast of the ESPN documentary The Fab Five caused controversy when Jalen Rose referred to Hill and other Black Duke basketball players as "Uncle Toms," leading to discussions between members of the press and NCAA players in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Personal life and family

Grant Hill is the son of Calvin Hill, a former NFL football player, and Janet Hill, who was a math teacher and later became a business executive and consultant. He was born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Virginia. He had a relationship with actress Jada Pinkett Smith from 1993 to 1995.

In 1996, in Detroit, Michigan, Anita Baker introduced Grant Hill to Canadian singer Tamia. Hill and Tamia married on July 24, 1999. They have two daughters: Myla Grace Hill, born on January 23, 2002, and Lael Rose Hill, born on August 9, 2007. The family currently lives in Windermere, Florida.

In 1999, Hill received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.

In 2003, Hill contracted a life-threatening infection called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). After this experience, he became an advocate for raising awareness and preventing MRSA. He has participated in public service announcements for Stop MRSA Now!, a non-profit organization.

Hill earned his bachelor's degree from Duke University, where he studied history and political science.

In 1999, Hill served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Special Olympic World Summer Games, which were held in Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Grant Hill, his mother Janet Hill, and his grandmother Vivian McDonald created a scholarship at Dillard University in New Orleans. This scholarship honors Hill's grandfather, who supported the university regularly.

Hill was featured on a poster titled "READ," which promoted libraries, literacy, and reading.

Hill donated money to a daycare center started by his father, Calvin Hill, in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1972. The daycare center was created after Calvin graduated from Yale University and aimed to help children and families in the local community.

Hill funded an organization in his hometown of Reston, Virginia, that assists students of all ages who need help pursuing education.

Hill owns a large collection of African-American art, including works by Romare Bearden and Elizabeth Catlett. From 2003 to 2006, 46 pieces from his collection were displayed in a traveling exhibition at several American museums. The exhibition was last shown at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Hill's alma mater.

Hill has connections with the Democratic Party. On the night Hill was drafted into the NBA, he received a congratulatory phone call from U.S. President Bill Clinton. Hill publicly supported John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.