“The game was my best friend” - Grant Hill credited his successful basketball career to being a single child

While players like Larry Bird credit their siblings for helping develop their basketball skills from an early age, other players such as Grant Hill have a different story. Being the only child helped the 7-time All-Star to focus solely on basketball. Despite having professional athlete genes, he wasn’t certain if his path to the NBA was possible. As a result ‘Mr. Nice’ worked tirelessly by himself to study the game of basketball, absorbing all the knowledge he could to perfect his basics.

Grant Hill had the physical genes to become a pro

Growing up in Virginia in the ‘80s, when most kids spent time with friends playing on the court or field, Hill preferred spending time alone. This didn’t make him upset, rather he utilized his time to watch and analyze the footwork and movement of basketball players to develop his fundamentals. Moreover, given Grant’s father - Calvin Hill, spent 12 years featuring in the NFL, he knew he had unparalleled athletic genes. But he wasn’t sure if combining that with his insane work ethic and passion would be enough to get him to the NBA.

"I don't know if I realistically thought that (the NBA) could be possible, " G-Money said .

Eventually, his habit of watching basketball films daily fostered a deep love for the sport. Put simply, basketball became not only his primary focus but also his only ‘best friend.’ Furthermore, his was such that he became obsessed with always having a basketball in his hands whenever he left the house.

"The game was my best friend. It kept me company. No one ever had to tell me to work or go outside and get lost in your imagination while working on dribbling and shooting... I was a student of the game, " he added. "I was practicing. I was putting my hours in. For me, it was fun."

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Results started to show for Grant

As Grant matured, he turned out to be a real beast on the court - quick enough to run circles around his opponents and tall enough to be a physical force. This combination proved to be his real asset as soon as he entered the collegiate basketball realm. In his four years with Duke, he averaged 14.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

More significantly, he became the first player in the ACC to accumulate more than 1,900 points, 700 rebounds, 400 rebounds, 200 steals, and 100 blocks. Grant even played a huge role in leading Duke to win two consecutive national championships, especially when he threw a laser-like pass to Christian Laettner to secure a 103-102 OT win against Kentucky in the regional final game in ‘92.

Safe to say, while loneliness can lead some aspiring athletes astray, Hill channeled his solitude productively, carving a path to the NBA with both style and substantial hype behind him.

Related: Grant Hill on when he realized LeBron James will never be the GOAT: "He just didn't seem mentally or emotionally in it"