Hill was picked third overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1994 NBA Draft. He was named co-Rookie of the Year with the Phoenix Suns' Jason Kidd (then of the Dallas Mavericks). This season, Hill is headed for his third straight All-Star game in as many years in the NBA, while leading the league in total votes. He is leading the Pistons in minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals.
Last Friday night, after scoring 19 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and handing off seven assists in an 84-78 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Hill sat down with Daily Sports Writer Tracy Sandler to talk about playing against the Fab Five, being referred to as Michael Jordan's "heir apparent" and the trials and tribulations of being an NBA superstar.
Daily: What was it like for you to play against the Fab Five, and what had you heard about them before your first meeting?
Grant Hill: It was a lot of fun to play against them. I think it kind of started a rivalry between Duke and Michigan. The first time I played against them, it was kind of like the emergence of them. After that game, they were getting a lot of pub. I think the fact that they both, (Chris) Webber and Jalen (Rose), all the guys, came in and played, and played real well, took us to an overtime game; it was sort of their coming out party on the national level.
D: How did it feel to beat a team with that caliber of talent four times, one time being for the NCAA championship, and why do you think that you and your Duke teammates were so successful against them?
H: They were a very good team and very talented, but we were better. We were older, and we had been together for a little bit longer, and talentwise, we were a little bit better at that time. They were young, and maybe if we played those guys now, they'd probably beat us. At that time, we were the better team, and we just had their number for a couple of years.
D: When you play against that group of guys today, do you still feel some of the fire and intensity of your college rivalry, and how do you think that you and they have changed as players?
H: I feel it. Juwan (Howard) and Chris and those guys, I've been playing against them even before college, in high school; so, the rivalry intensified in college, and it definitely kind of exists now. It's a friendly rivalry, but it's something that I get up for, and I'm sure they get up for as well.
D: Scottie Pippen has said that he believes that you will surpass his playing ability, but many people refer to you as Michael Jordan's "heir apparent." How comfortable are you with that title?
H: I'm just trying to be Grant Hill. A lot of times there are expectations put on you, comparisons, you know I just gotta go out there and be myself, be the best that I can be and not try to live up or be anybody else.
D: What have you learned from those type of players?
H: I've played against them, and I've played with them, being with Scottie this summer. They're professionals, and they're the best at what they do. I've learned a lot from those guys; stuff on the court and stuff off.
D: In 20 years, when people think of Grant Hill, what do you want them to remember you for?
H: Hopefully, winning a championship. That's what I'd like. Somebody who came to Detroit and helped to bring the franchise back to where it once was, and that's a championship.
D: In a sports world filled with so many controversial athletes, whether due to their attitudes or outside legal problems, how are you able to maintain the morals and values you were taught as a child?
H: I think there are a lot of good people in this league, a lot of good people on my team. I think being around the good guys on my team has really made it easy for me. Having Joe Dumars my first year come in and learn a lot from him, I learned the right way to do things. I think professional sports is good. I don't think it's any worse than it's been since my dad played. They have the good and the bad. I think because of the media exposure over the last five or 10 years, the bad has been more glorified than the good.
D: We see so many kids today either leave college early, or skip it altogether, to go to the NBA. As an NBA player who completed college, how important do you think it is for players to finish school?
H: I think it's very important. Someday, you have to put the ball down. Whether it's a year after college or it's 10 years, you still have to retire, you get cut, or just stop playing because of old age. What you attain in your college experience, academically, socially, and even on the court, but mainly academically and socially, is something that sticks with you for the rest of your life, something that can definitely prepare you for when the day of playing basketball is done.
D: Growing up around such superb athletes, such as your father and Roger Staubach, was sports in your blood at an early age? Did you always know that you wanted to be an athlete?
H: I think I always wanted to be one. Growing up in the lockerrooms and having a father play professional football (Calvin Hill with the Dallas Cowboys) and being around a lot of professional athletes definitely made me want to play and be a professional.
D: Do you find it difficult to juggle both your personal and professional lives? Is it difficult to go out to dinner or to a movie without being bombarded?
H: Sometimes it can be tough, but you learn to adjust. You go places where people aren't really going to bug you and just go there and have a good, friendly meal or go to a movie. It's definitely changed; it's not like it was in college. I mean, people do recognize you.
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