Grant Hill has revealed his long-held feelings about sharing the 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year award with Jason Kidd. Thirty-one years later, Hill admitted he’s still bitter about the result.
Hill’s Rookie Season Outshone Kidd’s
Hill made the comments on the VinceAndTmac show. He was asked how he felt going into the 1995 Rookie of the Year announcement. His response was immediate: “Yeah, I got robbed. I got robbed. J-Kid knows that, like I got robbed.”
Hill was quick to clarify that this grievance doesn’t affect their friendship. “That’s my guy. We came in together.” The two players’ history goes back to their high school days. “We were teammates at the Nike camp in high school,” Hill said.
Hill then joked: “I don’t think he passed me the ball one time.” The Nike camp story highlights their dynamic. Hill, a rising senior, felt overlooked by Kidd, a rising sophomore who was already acting as a floor general. “He was a rising sophomore, I’m a rising senior. And he’s supposed to be this point guard, he never passed me the ball at Nike camp.”
Vince Carter recalled seeing Kidd at that stage, saying, “I saw high school J-Kid. He had bounce,” which only added to the humour.
Hill also mentioned a tournament matchup where Kidd’s team beat his. “Then they beat us in the legendary tournament matchup, where Kyle beat us in the second round. I did have a broken toe, I always remind him of that, and that’s why they won.” He then drew a line to the NBA draft and the shared award: “He goes one spot ahead of me in the draft, and then I got to share the Rookie of the Year with him. So I’m still a little bitter about that.”
The 1994 NBA Draft and Rookie of the Year Voting
The 1994 NBA Draft saw Kidd go second overall to Dallas. Hill went third to Detroit. Glenn Robinson was picked first overall by Milwaukee. All three were in contention for the Rookie of the Year award.
When the votes were tallied, Hill and Kidd tied. Hill admitted that the result caught everyone by surprise. “The idea of sharing that was probably foreign to all of us,” Hill said in a prior interview, noting that the announcement itself came as a shock.
Hill acknowledges that, despite the bitterness, he appreciates sharing the award with Kidd. “If I got to share it with somebody, it might as well be him,” he conceded.
Hill’s Rookie Stats Speak Volumes
Hill still believes his individual performance warranted sole recognition. He encourages people to examine the statistics from that season. “Go back and look at the stats. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
Hill’s rookie season included averages of 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.8 steals. He shot 47.6% from the field. In the 1994-95 season, Hill became the first rookie in NBA history to lead All-Star fan balloting. That was a dominant debut.
By contrast, Jason Kidd averaged 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.
- Grant Hill averaged 19.9 points per game in his rookie season.
- Jason Kidd averaged 11.7 points per game in his rookie season.
- Hill led All-Star fan balloting in his first year.
Despite the shared award, Hill has never lost his perspective. He still harbours some resentment about the situation three decades later.