The short answer is – No
It’s weird when you get to the point in your (sports)life when you actually remember watching guys play, who are now getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. This year the NBA will be inducting Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, who were each Locks for the Hall. Anddd thennn also…..Grant Hill? Huh? Wait this isn’t for College Bball right? He’s already in that?
Mike Francesa used to say, as a very basic test for checking on someones HOF credentials ask yourself, Was_____ the best player in the league for at least one season? How about the best at his position for a year? The answer here is clearly NO.
Was the guy even the best player on his team? I guess in Detroit but I’m not sure about anywhere else.
His HOF accolades consist of —All-NBA 1st Team ONCE in 20 years / Co-Rookie of the year in ’95 (with J Kidd) / 7 Time All Star (which is almost meaningless, Joe Dumars made 6)
Check his stats for yourself – (from basketball-reference.com)
It looks to me that good ole Grant averaged a whopping 16 Points a game! Wow what a player. Dude averaged over 20 points only FIVE years out of his 20 Year career. I’ll give him solid years in 95/96/97/98 and 99 but he only played 50 games. Coming off that ’99 year Grant played well in 2000 averaging a career high 26 a night. But after 2000 which was only his 6th season, I struggle to find another good year. I guess throw in 05 with 19 a night but thatsss it.
Now Grant was a star at Duke but he’s already inducted in the college HOF.
I’ll give it to him that his first 5 years in the league were solid and if he kept that pace up maybe he’d deserve it. But its like his numbers fell off a cliff and he was neverrrr healthy. Just because a guy is a star in college and wins rookie of the year, doesn’t mean anything. This is the Hall of Fall people!
I get that his career was ‘plagued by injury’
To steal a Colin Cowherd line, when evaluating ability you need to take into account availability. Theres a reason Lebron is never hurt. Was MJ? How about even fellow inductees JKidd or Ray Allen? Steve Nash got brittle and old late but was still always playing. Availability is a major key to success in sports and if your hurt a lot, your probably just not that great.
Now I’m not knocking Grant Hill because he’s a bad player. The guy hung around the league for 20 years so he obvisouly belonged on the court. But not in the Hall of Fame! That’s for the greatest players EVER.
And Grant is far from that.
Stick to announcing the Final Four (where you’re the worst on the team again) and reliving the best basketball you played.
Which was at Duke.
Billy Raft – Onions
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