Near Skirmish Once Led To Grant Hill Impersonating Dennis Rodman's Wacky Trot

Zachary Draves | Jul 15, 2024

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Grant Hill on a TV set before game three of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout his career, Grant Hill was known for being one of the most gracious players.

However, there is always execption to any rule.

During a 1998 game between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons, Hill linked arms with Dennis Rodman as he was going for the rebound on a missed jumper by Scottie Pippen.

Rodman then knocked Hill down to the floor before being given a technical foul. Hill got up and did the Rodman strut back to the other end of the floor.

An impersonation of the highest order.

Hill and Rodman faced each other 11 times in the NBA, though never in the playoffs. Rodman finished with an 10-1 record.

While the Bulls became one of the greatest dynasties in sports, the Pistons were experiencing a downturn in the mid to late 1990s from the Bad Boy championship years of1989 and 1990, Rodman was a key cog o both teams.

The Bulls/Pistons rivarly is one of the most storied in NBA history, due in large part to the devised Jordan Rules that at times got vicious.

Though the dynamic of the rivarly changed as both teams went in completly opposite directions for the remainder of the decade, that mutual hostility still lingered.

Who would have thought one of the nicest people in the game's history, would be the instigator at least one time?

Zachary Draves is a contributor to Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.

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