Grant Hill: LOS Classic

On this week’s Legends Of Sport Classic episode, we revisit Andy’s 2018 conversation with his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame classmate, Grant Hill!  Grant opens up about his childhood, growing up with a father in the NFL and a mother who was college roommates with Hillary Clinton and a mentor to Michelle Obama.  Grant also shares why he chose to play for Coach K at Duke University despite being the biggest Dean Smith and UNC fan, the lessons Coach K instilled in him, his famous March Madness pass to Christian Laettner that took down Kentucky in the Elite Eight in 1992, visits to the White House, the rise in social justice issues in the NBA, his career parallels with Jason Kidd – from Co-Rookie of the Year to the Hall Of Fame, thoughts on one-and-done, his love for art, purchasing the Atlanta Hawks & life as a NBA owner, the TRUE story of how Roger Staubach named him, the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, and so much more! Original Air Date: June 6, 2018.

Other topics discussed in this episode:

4:00   What going into the Hall of Fame means to Grant, what he felt when he got the news

7:16   Grant’s childhood, growing up with a father who played in the NFL and his dad’s one rule that resulted in Grant choosing basketball over football

11:44   Grant’s family connection to two former First Ladies of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Michelle Obama, and former President George W. Bush

16:20   The rise of athlete activism among NBA players and why this generation is more vocal

20:10   How Grant’s and Jason Kidd’s careers are forever intertwined from sharing co-Rookie of the Year honors to being enshrined in the same HOF class

24:17   Playing for Coach K, his coaching style and how he gets the most out of his players

27:38   Highly recruited in high school, Grant explains how he chose Duke

31:15   Grant’s take on one-and-done rule

35:30   How Grant became part of the Hawks ownership group and their plans to turn the franchise into contenders and improve the game night experience for fans

43:35   Grant’s passion for African American art, curating his collection and organizing traveling exhibits

54:03   Phil Knight’s wild NBA draft night idea if Grant had signed with Nike

57:00   Grant’s most memorable college career moment

58:36   Grant reveals which of his father’s legendary Cowboys teammates named him

59:58   The most difficult thing Grant has had to do in his basketball career