For most fans and analysts, Michael Jordan is unanimously the best player to ever play in the NBA. Jordan’s impact on the game of basketball is unrivaled and his resume is full of amazing accolades.
But there have been many instances when fans and the media have tried to look for the next Michael Jordan or someone, who will probably surpass MJ. One such player who was burdened with this responsibility was Grant Hill.
Hill’s path to the league was similar to that of Jordan. Additionally, he was drafted in 1994, a year after MJ abruptly retired from the NBA. So the search for the league’s next big superstar was already on.
In a recent interview, Hill gave his honest reaction to those expectations being put on him and what his thought process was at the same.
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“I was surprised at all the fans, because they kept trying to make me the face of the league. I’m thinking, we won 28 games, my friend. I’ve still got a lot to learn, but that first year was crazy, man. Like it was, you know, new shoes, you got commercials, endorsements. They were trying to call me the next Jordan. I thought it was foolish, but I leveraged that. “I didn’t turn down the deals, but it was hard, because we were losing. You go in college where, every year you feel like you have a chance to win a championship, and now all of a sudden you’re losing more games than you lost in a lifetime.”
For what it’s worth, Hill did reach the status of a young superstar after his rookie season. But did he ever reach the level of Michael Jordan? No.
Hill’s true potential was ruined due to injuries, and he became one of the biggest cases of what-ifs in NBA history.
