9501140149
DETROIT FREE PRESS
950412
Wednesday, April 12, 1995
METRO FINAL CHASER
1C
Photo Color RON FREHM ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo Color JULIAN H. GONZALEZ
MITCH ALBOM
SEE ALSO METRO EDITION; SIDEBARS ATTACHED
Copyright (c) 1995, Detroit Free Press
HEIR VS. AIR
'NEXT JORDAN' TAKES FLIGHT VS. ORIGINAL
Grant Hill had a decision to make. Quick, before he answers. Mr. Jordan?
Michael? Mike? He was sitting in his car, with the cellular phone set on
speaker, because his buddies were cramped in there with him, hoping to hear
the famous man's voice. Hurry. What should Hill call him? Mr. Mike? Your
Highness?
"Hello?"
"Hello . . . MJ . . . it's Grant Hill."
MJ? He called him MJ?
"Well, yeah," Hill laughs now. "At least I didn't say 'It's GH.' "
Welcome to The Clash of Titans, where we, the media, will no doubt make a
bigger fuss than they will.
It is true, tonight is the NBA's first meeting between its returned King
and its reigning Prince: Michael Jordan, Grant Hill.
And it is true, on your way into the Palace the ushers might ask, "Which
god are you rooting for?"
(Actually, they could seat the crowd by shoes. Nikes on one side, Fila on
the other. All those with bald heads on one side, all those with fathers in
the NFL Alumni Association on the other . . . )
But I digress.
The truth is, this is no battle -- at least not mentally. Only one of these
guys buys the other guy's videotapes, only one refers to the other as "a man
with no weaknesses" and only one ever wondered -- on his car phone -- what
name showed the most respect.
MJ? He called him MJ?
"Here's how that happened," Hill admits. "David Falk, Michael's agent,
wanted me to sign with him when I was coming out of college. So I told him
I'd like to talk to Michael about it. He gave me Michael's home number down in
Birmingham.
"The truth is, um . . . I really just wanted to talk to Michael.
Awwwhahahhahaha!"
(By the way, I give Hill the edge in laughter. He has this wonderfully
explosive laugh that erupts from inside him like a dropped bee hive. Jordan?
All he ever does is smirk.)
Wait. Did you know Hill actually earns more money -- in salary -- than
Jordan? Still, if you ask Grant, it's age before booty.
"Jordan's the best. I remember the first time I ever played him. It was in
the Dream Team thing (where the college stars worked out with the pros). We
came out the first day and they said, 'Grant, you got Jordan.'
"As soon as we started, he came upcourt and said, 'Don't you know I can
get this ball whenever I want it? And when I get it, I can do anything I want
with it?' . . .
"It was unbelievable. I'm glad there were no media in there, so there
weren't any cameras to record how he embarrassed me. . . . I felt like a
Muppet."
Edge: Jordan.
And yes, His Airness has the gold medal and $30 million a year in
endorsements and all those championships and even a baseball card. That's OK.
Hill still has a few things going for him. For one, he has a better chance at
Rookie of the Year than Michael.
And he can say his alma mater, Duke, beat Michigan in the NCAA final
before Jordan's alma mater, North Carolina, did the same.
Hill is also taller.
And has struck out less.
As for the other key matchups:
HAIR: No contest.
Edge: Hill.
PRESS CONFERENCES: No contest.
Edge: Hill.
SHOES: Why ask?
Edge: Jordan.
NBA RINGS: No fair.
Edge: Jordan.
NCAA RINGS: No fair.
Edge: Hill.
VIDEOTAPES: Hill owns every one of Jordan's. "I've got 'Come Fly With Me,'
'Come Fly With Me II,' 'Unbelieva-Bull,' 'MJ's Neighborhood . . . '
Somehow I don't think Jordan sits around watching "Duke -- The Dream
Season, 1992."
Edge: Jordan.
TEAMMATES: Hill has Joe Dumars. Jordan has Scottie Pippen.
Edge: Hill.
DAVID LETTERMAN APPEARANCES: Two in a month. And he played with the band.
Edge: Hill.
REDSKINS' SEASON TICKETS: Hill.
KEYS TO O'HARE AIRPORT: Jordan.
CHANCE OF AUDIENCE WITH POPE: Even.
Of course, there's an inherent unfairness to this showdown. Hill, 22, is
younger, and thus, is constantly being told he is "the next Michael Jordan."
No one ever tells Jordan, 32, he is "the next Grant Hill."
"I don't listen to that anyhow," Hill says. "Every year someone is the next
Michael Jordan. Next year, Jerry Stackhouse will be the next Michael Jordan.
And then I'll say, 'Hey, wait a minute, I thought I was the next Michael
Jordan.'
"Awhahawhawhaha!"
The fact is, Jordan was never this glib, this balanced, or this much fun
when he was 22. Then again, he had a lot of pressure. Like Hill, Jordan was
saddled with a losing franchise when he arrived in the NBA. And like Jordan,
you figure it's just a matter of time before Hill raises a banner in Detroit.
So what you'll see tonight may be two separate dots on a similar time line.
Hill is not yet all that he will be. Jordan is still all that he was.
But if Jordan is more famous, more wealthy, more experienced, and more
cocky -- and if, for the moment, Hill feels privileged to watch him dunk --
just remember, Detroit fans, Hill has this going for him: his birth
certificate.
Which means one day, years from now, when he's really retired, Jordan might
make a phone call. And when the other party answers, he'll say: "Hello, GH?
It's MJ."
And Hill can say, "Who?"
TALE OF THE TAPE
Grant Hill
HEIGHT: 6-feet-8.
AGE: 22.
COLLEGE: Duke.
HOMETOWN: Reston, Va.
FAVORITE SHOE: Fila.
FAVORITE DRINK: Sprite.
HAIRSTYLE: Bald (his mother hates it).
HOBBY: Playing piano.
CHAMPIONSHIPS: NCAA (2).
MEMORABLE MOMENT: Soaring dunk in opening minutes of 1991 NCAA championship
game against Kansas.
Michael Jordan
HEIGHT: 6-6.
COLLEGE: North Carolina.
AGE: 32.
HOMETOWN: Wilmington, N.C.
FAVORITE SHOE: Nike.
FAVORITE DRINK: Gatorade.
HAIRSTYLE: Bald (not much choice anymore).
HOBBY: Playing baseball.
CHAMPIONSHIPS: NCAA (1), NBA (3).
MEMORABLE MOMENT: Jump shot in final minute that beat Georgetown in 1982 NCAA
championship. Or was it that lay-up against the Lakers in the '91 NBA Finals
when he swapped hands in midair? Or was it . . . ?
Comparing the rookie seasons of Michael Jordan and Grant Hill:
Jordan (1984-85)
G FG FT Reb Ast Stl Pts
82 .515 .845 6.5 5.9 2.4 28.2
Hill
G FG FT Reb Ast Stl Pts
62 .477 .742 6.0 4.9 1.8 19.4
COLUMN; HUMOR; ANECDOTE; GRANT HILL; MICHAEL JORDAN; DPISTONS;
BASKETBALL;Pistons