How Duke helped Grant Hill save his hall-of-fame basketball career, his foot — and his life
Basketball brought Grant Hill success, fame and riches, from his college career at Duke through the NBA to his current ownership stake in the Atlanta Hawks.
Nearly 20 years ago, it nearly cost him his left foot — and his life.
“I was septic,” Hill said. “I thought I was going to die at one point. I had a surgery here at Duke that, if it didn’t work, amputation was the next option.”
The former Duke all-American, NBA all-star and Naismith Hall of Famer returned to Duke on Wednesday night as part of a book tour promoting his autobiography, “Game”, that went on sale Tuesday.
Speaking during an hour-long presentation along with current Duke coach Jon Scheyer at Page Auditorium, Hill told stories of overcoming injuries during his 19-year NBA career. That included the ankle injury suffered in 2000 that required five surgeries.
Following one in 2003, he developed MSRA, a life-threatening staph infection that required six months of intravenous antibiotics to combat.
During a six-week stint at Duke that year recovering from a surgery where tissue from one part of his body was relocated to rebuild the ankle and leg, Hill said he was close to the edge. A visit from Mike Krzyzewski changed his outlook.
“Coach came by, Coach K,” Hill said. “At this point, I’ve had a free-flap surgery, I’m in the hospital, I’m ready to give it up. At that point, that was the one time I was ready to give it up. I’m done. I almost died because I tried to play basketball. I got a young daughter. It’s just not worth it.”
That’s when Krzyzewski told him, “You are going to get back and play.”
Hill said he looked at his former coach and said. “Yeah right.”
But two months later, when he was feeling healthier, Hill began to believe. He did come back after missing the 2003-04 season and played until retiring in 2013.
His experience led him to become an advocate for MRSA prevention. He’s involved in plenty of other endeavors since his playing career ended, too. In addition to his part ownership in the Atlanta Hawks, Hill is a college basketball broadcaster who annually works the NCAA tournament, including the Final Four.
That last part has brought him full circle in his love for basketball. He and his father, former NFL running back Calvin Hill, began taking father-son trips to the Final Four in 1982. Because of that, Grant Hill said he was initially a UNC fan since Michael Jordan led the Tar Heels to a national championship that season.
A few years later, Hill changed allegiances again. He received his first college recruiting letter from Louisville, which he saw beat Duke in the 1986 NCAA national championship game.
“I went to Foot Locker and I bought all the Louisville stuff,” Hill said. “Hats. T-Shirts. I was going to Louisville.”
His plans changed again, for good, when Duke began recruiting him. That lead to him becoming a Blue Devil, winning two NCAA championships and being part of one of the sport’s most memorable plays when he passed the ball to Christian Laettner for his game-winning shot over Kentucky in 1992.
“I was fortunate to be a part of some great teams and experience some iconic moments,” Hill said. “And the great thing is we get to relive it every March. The pass. The catch. The shot.
“As a player, it’s really the relationships. It’s the times with your teammates in the locker room, at the training table, at practice, on campus. To me, that’s when the team is really cool. I think the beauty of our program, Coach K is about family, and it’s about those interactions off the court.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 3:25 PM.