Grant Hill’s NBA career: By the numbers
Jun 2, 2013, 3:58 PM | Updated: Jun 3, 2013, 12:18 pm
Former Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill officially announced his retirement Saturday night during TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ show.
And while he only played five of his 19 NBA seasons in the Valley, we thought we’d celebrate his retirement by looking at his memorable career by the numbers.
1:
After being selected with the third overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, Hill had a remarkable first season in the Motor City. The former Duke standout averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game en route to winning co-Rookie of the Year honors with Jason Kidd.
2:
In back-to-back seasons to start his career (1994-95 and 1995-96), Hill led the league in All-Star voting. The two players he edged out in respective years were Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan.
4:
From 1994-1999, Hill recorded at least 300 assists per season. In fact, from 1995-96 to 1998-99, the former All-American led the league in assists among all non-guards.
7:
In all, the former Duke star made seven All-Star Game appearances, the last of which coming in 2005 with the Orlando Magic.
13.2:
As a member of the Suns in 2010-11, Hill averaged 13.2 points per game, becoming the seventh player in NBA history 38 or older to average 13 points per game for an entire season.
29:
Hill recorded 29 triple-doubles in his first five seasons, and despite not having one after 1999, he ranked third among active players in the category at the end of the 2013 regular season.
67:
While Hill looked well on his way to a Hall of Fame career in Detroit, things took a turn for the worse when he signed with the Orlando Magic in 2000. In six seasons, Hill played in only 200 games out of a possible 492. From a fractured ankle to a MRSA infection to groin issues, he was reduced to street clothes more often than not. During his tenure in Orlando, the most games Hill played in a season was 67 (2004-05).
82:
Until his final year with the Suns in 2011-12, injuries were not a major issue during his time in the Valley. Hill played in at least 80 games from 2008-09 to 2010-11 and was the only Phoenix player to suit up for all 82 games in 2008-09.
2010:
During the Suns’ run to the Western Conference Finals in 2010, Hill recorded his first two playoff series victories. They would be the only two of his career.
17,137:
Despite all of his injury-plagued seasons in Orlando, Hill retired with 17,137 career points to his name — good for 81st on the all-time list.
