Grant Hill: A Hall Of Fame Career Despite The Injuries

When Grant Hill announced his retirement, the 19-year NBA veteran instantly sparked a lot of discussion around the league. One of the inevitable debates was simply: Hall of Famer? However, when you step back and look at all he accomplished, there is no true debate. He will clearly be honored in Springfield at some point.

Hill first made a name for himself nationally at Duke. The Blue Devils won National Championships his first two years on campus, and then made the title game during his senior year. He is one of the most decorated college players of the early 1990s, which will definitely help his case since it is the Basketball Hall of Fame, not simply the NBA Hall of Fame.

Like many who entered the league at his time, Hill drew comparisons to Michael Jordan. Those were always unfair, because even a healthy Hill would not have been able to match Jordan’s ability. However, what few forget is just how good Hill was prior to his first major injury.

During his first six seasons in the NBA (all with the Detroit Pistons), Hill became one of the best wing players in the game and a stick on pick in fantasy basketball leagues. His all-around game allowed him to make five All-Star games and finish in the top 10 in MVP voting five out of the six years as well.

The one knock on him during that initial stretch was that he was never outstanding out any one thing, and some thought he was a bit too passive. Truth be told, he was always more of a Scottie Pippen than a Jordan, but it is not like Pippen isn’t honored in Springfield.

Of course, since the 2000-2001 season, Hill has been a different player. Sure, he made two more All-Star teams and had some great moments, but he was nothing more than an above average complimentary piece for teams. His six seasons in Orlando were full of injuries, as he missed a total of 292 games during that time. That is what makes it so remarkable that he lasted until 2013, even if it was just as a role player.

Winning a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics and being known as one of the nicest guys in the NBA certainly will help his case as well, but even if he was a jerk who skipped the Olympics, he would get in based on merit. The questions about how good he might have been if healthy will pop up now that he is retired, but he was still able to do enough in his career to earn basketball’s highest honor.