Add Grant Hill to the list of legends and former players who side with Michael Jordan in the quarrel between him and his former Chicago Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen.
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Grant Hill was one of the best talents in the NBA towards the turn of the century. The point forward with exceptional athleticism and playmaking ability was clearly seen as a player, who would go on to do wonders for years to come.
On this day, 1996: The Pistons visited Milwaukee. Grant Hill put on a clinic in getting to the rim, while Joe Dumars put rookie guard Ray Allen in post-up jail, then he and Terry Mills put on a show in the 4th quarter with a shooting clinic, running Detroit’s record to 16-3: pic.twitter.com/7EVk2UjZRi
— Keith Black Trudeau (@Charlottean28) December 10, 2021
Touted to be the next Michael Jordan, the Detroit Pistons’ 3rd pick of 1994, Grant came into the league after MJ’s sudden retirement. But unfortunately, he didn’t replace MJ as the new face of the league. Due to his injury-plagued career, he became one of the biggest “What If?” stories in NBA history.
The 1995 Rookie of the Year had numerous battles with Jordan and Scottie Pippen when the former came back in the league again to win 3-more championships through 1996-98. Hill, who is friends with the pair, showed his disappointment in the aftermath of what transpired after the release of Jordan’s documentary The Last Dance and Scottie Pippen’s memoir, Unguarded.
Also read: Michael Jordan laid emphasis on winning games and rings over statistics
Grant Hill gives the edge to Michael Jordan, believes “The Last Dance” was fair
During his recent appearance on The Real, Grant Hill talked to the hosts about how the 7-time All-Star himself is finishing a memoir of his own and is about to release it. He also talked about the famous controversy between the best duo of the NBA,
“It’s sad in a lot of ways. You know, we all watched The Last Dance, Michael, the greatness of those teams, and Scottie, his contributions and his role and just the greatness that they embodied and just how together they were and how they dominated. It was tough for me because I’m playing against them and all of us in the NBA.”
Grant continued, “But I’m friends with both, I’m fan of both. And you just hate to see that legacy now tainted by this sort of back-and-forth. And so, look, Scottie has every right to tell his truth and share his struggles and frustrations. I wish it didn’t come to that. It’s unfortunate, but you can’t discredit what they did together. It was incredible, one of the best duos in the history of not just the NBA but the history of sport”
Grant admitted that he is yet to read Scottie’s controversial book. So, he talked about how the Last Dance came off to him as compared to Pippen’s perception.
“I mean, I didn’t think it was unfair. I thought it was… They touched on some things that happened. Scottie didn’t go in the game in that one game, and that was a controversial moment. Michael talked about the gambling and some of the clouds that hovered around him. So, I thought it was pretty open and pretty transparent.” Hill finished.
Hill is one of many former players who understands Scottie Pippen’s frustrations but side with Michael Jordan in the battle of the Bulls.