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The careers of Grant Hill and Jason Kidd were forever intertwined

By Sean Keane | Last updated 9/7/18

Grant Hill and Jason Kidd are both in the Hall of Fame class of 2018, after two long careers that intertwined in surprising ways. Kidd and Hill were born six months apart, and got picked second and third in the 1994 draft, behind Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson. They shared the Rookie of the Year award. Both racked up a lot of triple doubles, went to a lot of All-Star games; 10 for Kidd, seven for Hill. Both rejuvenated their careers with the Phoenix Suns, and were effective, valuable players through age 39. But they way they got to Springfield was very different indeed.

Both Hill and Kidd came from upper middle class backgrounds, Hill in Virginia and Kidd in Oakland, California. But Hill came from athletic and social royalty – his father Calvin was a star running back for Yale and the Dallas Cowboys, and the first-ever first round pick from an Ivy League college. His mother Janet lived in the same suite as Hillary Clinton at Wellesley. So it wasn’t a surprise Hill ended up at private Duke University. Meanwhile, Kidd was two years behind Hill in school, who had already won back-to-back NCAA titles before Kidd ended up at the prestigious public university, the University of California. Still, Kidd’s Golden Bears upset Hill’s Blue Devils in 1993, ending their chances at a three-peat, even though Hill had 18 points and 8 steals in the game.

The two were first team All-Americans the next season, and both turned pro. Hill stayed four years at Duke, one of the last NBA superstars to do so, double majoring in history and a political science. Kidd left Cal after two years, where he majored in sick passes and not going to lecture. But while they were both good players right away, Grant Hill was a STAR first. Despite playing for a mediocre Pistons team, Hill led the league in All-Star voting his first two seasons, ahead of guys like Shaq and Michael Jordan. He was the face of a Sprite campaign right away ( Grant Hill drinks Sprite?) and had a massive shoe deal with Fila by his third year. By contrast, Kidd had a memorable Sportscenter ad, and not much else. Maybe it was because Hill was polished and well-spoken, while Kidd mumbled when he spoke, had braces through college, and never figured out a hairstyle until he went totally bald. In addition, Hill was a model citizen, while Kidd clashed with his coach, and broke up with “The Three Js” over R&B star Toni Braxton. Meanwhile, Anita Baker introduced Hill to his wife, Canadian singer Tamia, and they’ve been married for 19 years.

The less said about Kidd’s musical career the better.

After Kidd landed in Phoenix, both guys continued to make All-Star teams and rack up triple-doubles, but without much success in the postseason. Both guys were somewhat ahead of their time – Hill was a point forward who could play four offensive positions, and Kidd thrived in an offense that pushed the pace and often went to super-small four-guard lineups with Rex Chapman, Kevin Johnson, and Steve Nash all joining Kidd. But things fell apart, thanks to injuries and Orlando Magic-related disasters. The Suns traded for Penny Hardaway from Orlando (to form BackCourt 2000) but Kidd got hurt the first year, and Penny had microfracture surgerythe next. Hill went to Orlando in hopes of forming a superteam, but was left with Tracy McGrady and a sprained ankle that wouldn’t heal for four years. Once Kidd was arrested on charges of domestic violence, the Suns exiled him to New Jersey, when it was then their paths really diverged.

Going to New Jersey was the best thing to ever happen to Kidd, which is not a phrase you hear much. Kidd anchored an excellent defensive Nets team that went to two straight Finals, with Kidd finishing second in MVP voting in 2002. They almost made it three straight, but Kidd was hobbled by a knee injury and lost to the champion Pistons in seven games. Hill eventually had his ankle re-broken and reset, a surgical procedure that almost killed him after he got a staph infection. Kidd had microfracture surgery himself in 2004, and it seemed like both of them might have their careers cut short.

But Hill came back in 2005, played 67 games, and started the All-Star game. He had an injury-plagued 2006-07 season, but at the end of his seven-year contract, he finally took Orlando back to the playoffs. Kidd not only got back on the court, he suddenly started hitting 35% of his three-pointers. Then, they both made even more dramatic returns: Kidd went back to his first team, the Mavericks, in a trade, and Hill went back to playing 82 games a year, thanks to Phoenix’s miracle training staff. Shockingly, a guy who almost retired at 30 ended playing until he was 40. They even experienced true playoff glory for the first time: Kidd by beating the Heat in the 2011 Finals, a series where he effectively guarded LeBron James, and Hill by finally winning a playoff series in 2010, the first time a player had ever had his first series win 15 years into his career.

Kidd is a no-doubt Hall of Famer, and while there was significant doubt about Hill, the stellar tail end of his career shows he was always a Hall of Famer whose ankles betrayed him six years into his prime. They’re both going to stay in basketball a long time, as Hill is a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks and a TV commentator, and Kidd is already a two-time head coach. Seeing what both of them did in their Phoenix career, it’s a shame they couldn’t have teamed up with each other there. It’s incredible to think what they could have done with Mike D’Antoni, and more importantly, actual medical doctors.

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