Chicago Bulls: Grant Hill thinks he would be better than MJ if not for injuries

Is there any valid argument that former Detroit Pistons seven-time All-Star point guard Grant Hill has that he could be better than a Chicago Bulls great?

There will always be players that think they could top what the Chicago Bulls famed shooting guard Michael Jordan if not for certain circumstances. Arguments could be valid maybe for someone like Hall-of-Fame center Shaquille O’Neal if he found a more stable situation he could’ve been motivated in, but there’s very few that realistically could’ve topped what Jordan did during his run with the Bulls.

In pretty much every playoff stint for Jordan with the Bulls, from the 1990’s and on, he took them to the heights of winning the NBA Championship. Only after coming back from his one year stint playing baseball (in the Chicago White Sox minor league organization) and falling short against the back-to-back champion Detroit Pistons in the 1990 playoffs did Jordan miss out on winning a title with the Bulls.

Jordan also didn’t get a title during the 1998-99 season since he took to the second of his three retirements from the NBA during his playing days. But there was a previous foe of Jordan’s in the NBA that thinks he could’ve topped what that legendary shooting guard did with the Bulls in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Former Pistons, Phoenix Suns, and Orlando Magic small forward Grant Hill believes he could’ve done better than MJ in his NBA career if not for injuries taking over at a young age. He didn’t say that he could do it for sure, but he did mention it was a possibility.

Here’s more on what Hill had to say on the matter of injuries taking a hold of his career in the NBA (monologue thanks to Essentially Sports).

"“Well, of course in my mind, yes it was a possibility (to surpass MJ). I mean who knows. When I came into the NBA, I had success right away. Certainly, there was a void because Michael had retired and a lot was sort of dumped on me,” Hill told on Carlos Watson’s show."

Hill was a seven-time NBA All-Star selection, five-time All-NBA Team selection, and the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year award winner. He is also a Hall-of-Famer, inducted as part of the 2018 class. He averaged 16.7 points per game, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks. Hill shot 48.3 percent from the field, 31.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line.

At the peak of his career during the 1996-97 season, Hill finished third in the MVP voting. He averaged 21.4 points per game, 9.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks, during that special 1996-97 season with the Pistons. But Hill ultimately fell short of Utah Jazz superstar forward Karl Malone and Jordan in the final MVP voting that season.

Jordan was a 14-time NBA All-Star selection, five-time MVP, six-time NBA Finals MVP, and six-time NBA Champion, during his lengthy and accomplished career. Hill was certainly a worthy competitor, but didn’t come close to doing what Jordan was able to in the NBA.