For me actually, when I retired and people start talking about where you fit and the Hall of Fame and things like that, you slow down a little bit and contemplate your basketball life, so to speak. Paul MolitorClass of 2004Molitor had multiple monikers -- "Molly" and "The Ignitor" to name a few -- over a remarkable 21-year career. And I wonder, too, if todays era and generation of players will have a different perspective, will they have more awareness because of social media. And when Grant Hill came in he was basically anointed by the league, players and everyone, he was anointed to be the next face of the league, former Pistons great and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said after Hill was announced as one of the selections for the, . A seven-time All-Star and a five-time All-NBA selection, Hill was on a trajectory that could have seen him become one of the leagues all-time greats. He was a stellar role player, great in every locker room he set foot in and one of the leagues best ambassadors off the court. Newest class of hoops legends reflect on lesser-known people who inspired them, Q&A: Heat guard Goran Dragic on his charmed basketball life. Hall of Fame Hill first If Penny and Grant dont get hurt, those are the two guys back in their day that everyone wants to play like.. That validated the journey for me. Scan this QR code to download the app now. A winner of four straight Cy Young Awards and a finalist three other times, Maddux was the No. In the ESPN 30 for 30 Films documentary This Magic Moment, Penny Hardaway states at one point that he retired seven years too late. Athletics Then Nos. Hill doubled as the leagues premier triple threat from the moment he arrived on the scene, tallying a league-high 24 of them in his first three seasons. NBA.com: The environment then seems so much different than what it is for the elite high school players now. So for me at the end of my eighth grade year I played in a national tournament, an AAU tournament and it looked a lot different then compared to what they look like now and our team won the tournament. Looking back, that looked like a one sided deal back then, but the Pistons wound up winning a title and went to the Finals twice due to Ben Wallaces play. An amazing four-year career at Duke, Rookie of the Year, Olympic gold medalist and 7-time All-Star, Hills career arc includes the injuries which prematurely ended his prime and derailed any potential best player chatter. I think when I was in the midst of it, fighting the injuries in Orlando and then went to Phoenix, youre just so caught up in the moment and looking forward. Jeter's trophy case also includes five Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Sluggers, the 2000 World Series MVP Award and the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year Award. Dave WinfieldClass of 2001Regardless of baseball, Winfield might be one of the greatest athletes ever -- he was drafted in four major sports leagues, according to Hall of Fame archives. I remember the arguments when you played in Detroit, before Kobe and T-Mac and Vince Carter. The first game I saw and really fell in love with the game was the 1982 NCAA title game with Georgetown and North Carolina. You are up and you cant run anymore and youre middle aged, and its like what happened? While that latter number may not seem significant on its own, its nearly identical to the career-best mark for Bryant who clocked in at .224 in 2005-06. the first Curley cross country runner to win the MSA individual title in the fall of 1984. This years list includes six first-time finalists: two-time NBA ChampionRay Allen, two-time NCAA ChampionGrant Hill, 10-time NBA All-StarJason Kidd, two-time NBA MVPSteve Nash,three-time Olympic gold medalistKatie Smithand four-time WNBA ChampionTina Thompson. Over his 12 seasons, all with the Twins, Puckett was a 10-time All-Star and a six-time Gold Glove Award winner in center field. Metrics like Box Plus-Minus and Value Over Replacement Player also allude to Hill having a similar peak impact as Bryant with Hills career best in each of those superior to Bryant. He was enshrined to the Hall with a 98.5 percent vote. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. One of the most accomplished NBA and college players of his generation, Grant Hill was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot member of the 2018 class. Carrying the mantle as his teams top scorer and distributor? Hill, a Basketball Hall of Famer and seven-time NBA All-Star, made $2.75 million in 1994, his rookie year with the Detroit Pistons. So in a round sort of way this has all been a validating thing for me and confirmed some things for me. With high-90s velocity and a baffling changeup, Martinez won the Cy Young Award in both leagues -- one of just six pitchers to do so -- over a career headlined mostly by his time in Montreal and Boston. During his remarkable 1972 campaign, he compiled a 1.97 ERA and struck out 310 batters over 346 1/3 innings and remains the last pitcher to exceed 300 innings in a single season ('80). It was too painful, both physically and emotionally, for Grant Hill to go over all of the scenarios in his mind while trying to heal his body. When the sun set on Hills sixth season and he decided to sign with the Orlando Magic, he had career averages of 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game which at that point, had only been matched by Oscar Robertson through six seasons. But it never happened. Oh, and don't forget about "The Catch.". I certainly wasnt thinking NBA or anything like the Hall of Fame back then, you didnt go there. I happened to be at Duke last year and gave a speech and had a couple of speaking engagements during homecoming. The Phoenix Suns shouldnt trade a first for a point guard, Phoenix Suns: A tribute to Steve Nashs Hall of Fame career, Ranking the Phoenix Suns best top-5 picks, Top 10 highest individual scoring games in team history, Hill had signed a seven-year, $93 million contract with the Magic, The Phoenix Suns should consider trading for T.J. McConnell, Tobin Heath, USWNT Beat Chile in Friendly as Carli Lloyd Scores 2 Goals, Phoenix Suns: A tribute to Steve Nash's Hall of Fame career, The Phoenix Suns shouldn't trade a first for a point guard, The Phoenix Suns are becoming the Houston Rockets West. Here's a look at every first-ballot Hall of Famer in baseball history. The Suns, needing depth, Hill needing a change of scenery, and Phoenix with the widely-believed best training staff in the NBA, was the perfect destination, and thus the third chapter of his career began. Copyright 2020-2023 FutureFootballLegends.com. My ballot will simply read, Grant Hill - What couldve been. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images). Greg MadduxClass of 2014A jokester in the clubhouse but an assassin on the mound, Maddux is widely considered the game's most cerebral pitcher ever. Ripken's streak of 2,632 consecutive games played is likely one that won't ever be matched. During his senior season he crushed the course record at Herring Run Hall of Hall of Fame Derek JeterClass of 2020There was never a doubt that Jeter was going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Thome is one of just three hitters -- along with Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth -- to have amassed at least 600 home runs and 1,500 walks in his career. I kind of convinced myself in a way that, and maybe it was a way to protect myself if none of this [Hall of Fame] ever happened, that I didnt need that stuff because I know what I overcame and what I had to fight through just to get back and play in my final years. He stopped playing the what if game years ago. Over his 18 seasons, he posted a .328/.415/.443 slash line. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Grant Hill Not just overall accomplishment, but also simply ability. The promise and optimism that surrounded Hill when he arrived in the league 14-years ago is gone, and even if he does win a NBA title this season, Grant will come up just short of a Hall of Fame career. Wade BoggsClass of 2005Boggs wasn't the most athletic, didn't have the strongest arm and was never a threat on the basepaths, but during his peak, a 12-year stretch from 1985-96 during which he was an All-Star 12 times, Boggs was arguably the game's best hitter. And my dad had always been a fan of Dean Smith really based on a lot of what he did in the 1970s, integrating the ACC and just his stance on a lot of social issues more than just what hed done as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. He piled up 9,393 points, 3,417 rebounds and 2,720 assists in the first six seasons of his career. Grant Hill and Jason Kidd are two players that were included in the 2018 Hall of Fame class that can easily be compared to Love resume-wise. What if instead of Magic and Michael, we looked to Grant Hill, a 68 wing with point guard skills that could also go and get his. RP on Twitter: "Bro please stop comparing short guys to When you talk about 6-8 guys with a handle, we see a lot of those guys now, but Grant Hill was the first guy who came into the NBA that I remember being 6-8 with a, Hill would have settled for at least a brief return to his pre-injury form. When the Phoenix Suns signed Grant Hill, he was washed up, broken down, and fading away. He spent his entire 19-year career with the Orioles and won the AL Cy Young Award three times. WebRT @CalFootball: In honor of this years NFL Draft in Kansas City, lets throw it back to 1997 when our first-ballot Hall of Famer @TonyGonzalez88 was selected 13th overall by the Hill was instrumental in replacing Shawn Marion after Marion was traded for Shaquille ONeal, and a key figure in Phoenixs surprising run to the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. If you were amazed by Curry's record-setting performance on Sunday, let's just say you weren't the only one. Grant is also a studio analyst on NBA TV's GameTime. He also was particularly critical during Minnesota's World Series championship runs in 1987 and '91, hitting .309/.361/.536 over 24 playoff games. I remember the end. But then when this all came about and I got that call (from the Hall of Fame), you realize that you might have suppressed some things. Offensive guard Jim Parker was taken with the eighth overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts, and 16 years later Parker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 3 draft pick of the 1961 Vikings. But to hear him talk about me and to hear what he thought of me back in the 90s, even now, not to say that I was overly sensitive, but somebody like him remembers.