After 18 years in the NBA, Grant Hill is retiring.
The seven-time All-Star was debilitated by injuries for the majority of his career, but he has been one of the most versatile and recognizable players in basketball for more than two decades. Hill, who most recently played with the Los Angeles Clippers, announced his retirement Saturday night on TNT, just moments before the start of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Hill’s career was highlighted by a standout campaign at Duke, where he won two national championships, and an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 1996. His NBA career saw him earn five All-NBA honors and the 1994-95 Co-Rookie of the Year Award.
“The last four or five years I would take about a month [after the season to decide to continue] and within a month, if I still wanted to do it, I would. Putting it simply, after a month, I just realized I didn’t want to play anymore,” Hill told USA TODAY Sports. “There’s a lot of reasons for that, but you know when you know. It just felt right. I’m excited and looking forward to moving on and doing other things.
“I worked hard. I put a lot into it, and I enjoyed every minute of it. But now is the time to move on. I feel great physically. It’s important to go out feeling good, particularly considering all the setbacks I had health-wise throughout my career.”
Hill finishes his career with averages of 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals in 33.9 minutes per game.
Photo via Facebook/Grant Hill
