During his time as a Detroit Pistons player from 1994-2000, Grant Hill would regularly stare at the retired jerseys hanging from the rafters in The Palace.
Since retiring in 2013, Hill has worked as an analyst and now dreams of his number 33 jersey being placed above the Pistons' fans, per Eric Woodyard of MLive.com:
“That was always something that you would look up there during the national anthem and think ‘Man, one day I would love to be up there,'” Hill said. “Obviously, things change and what not by leaving and so on. But I'll put my six years up there up against anybody else's six years.”
“So if it's meant to be, it happens. But if not, it doesn't change how I feel about the place not one bit.”
As part of a sign and trade deal, Hill moved from Detroit to the Orlando Magic in 2000. During his six year period as a Piston, he averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, earning his status as one of the elite players in the league during that time.
“When I go to Detroit, it conjures up a lot of great memories,” Hill said. “I think the thing that I enjoyed and maybe fully didn't appreciate is there is a sense of pride up there in Michigan, particularly in Detroit. The city obviously has been through a lot, but when I was there it was a pride about Detroit and anything from Detroit.”
“It was really cool to be that dude in that environment,” Hill said. “When you're young, you don't really appreciate it and totally understand it. But I think when I look back, the impact makes me feel really good.”
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