Co-owner of Over $6 Billion Sports Empire, Grant Hill Flies to North Carolina Only to Send a Message to 6900 Students

In the summer of 1990, Tommy Amaker, an assistant coach at Duke, got an unexpected phone call from Grant Hill, a freshman. Amaker was the point of contact for Hill’s recruitment, and so, when the young lad’s worries got too much, he called the coach to tell him he was considering an alternative plan. “Are you crazy?” Amaker yelled into the receiver, wondering how Hill couldn’t see his own brilliance. A teenage Grant Hill had deep-seated insecurity that he was simply not good enough for Duke’s basketball team.

That is partly what made him stand out, though. That atypical through-process is one reason he was one of the 13 men and women inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. Truth to be told, that’s just half the math. His mother, Janet, was an important part of the equation. She was a trustee emerita of Duke University from 2006–2021, but passed away in August 2022—before her son’s Naismith induction—but her “integrity and pursuance of excellence” were what motivated Hill in his journey. ‘Don’t fear failure,’ she used to tell the shy and introverted kid, who would pretend to play basketball with no baskets, no ball, and no teammates or opponents; Just all by himself.

So when Grant Hill was invited to Duke’s 2025 Commencement Address on May 11, he knew exactly the message the youth needed. There were no flashy monologues about building empires, even though he holds stakes in major teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Baltimore Orioles, Orlando City, and Orlando Pride. When combined, their valuation reaches a massive $6 billion and yet, he chose to share the wisdom passed down by his mother about how to live life.

“So many voices are saying they want to do the right thing. Then why does it feel like so few are following through? Graduates, this is your challenge in your next chapter. Help us close this gap. That’s what James B. Duke wanted us to do with the school he created. He was motivated by his belief that education should be, in his words, practical as opposed to theoretical. Not just on paper. In practice. Not just dreaming. Doing. Don’t just list your values. Live them. And yes, my mom knew this one too. Number seven, on her set of principles reads: Don’t be a passenger in life.

“My mom… Number seven on her set of principles reads, Don’t be a passenger in life. You see, she knew that values aren’t ideas. Values are verbs. To respect means that we give others grace, even if we disagree. To include means that we pull more chairs up to the table. We don’t fear different voices. To excel means doing the work, not just talking about the standards. It means performing all at the same high level that got you through Duke, even when no one was watching,” he said. He explained to the crowd of 6,900 students that the values that we carry are the principles we honor. But that wasn’t the end of it. Hill shared more pieces of wisdom from his mother.

“Our values require us to take the wheel. So don’t be a passenger. So I want to close with one last lesson from my mom. These are the first three words of her letter.’Don’t fear failure.’ Yes, it’s inevitable. Yes, it’s how you grow. But there’s another reason my mom asked us to do this. Don’t fear failure, she said, because success is far more dangerous to the human condition,” he said. What exactly did she mean by that? Grant Hill explained that success without gratitude could make us too comfortable, and that success without fortitude can make us corruptible.

“Duke students know how to grind. You hustle, you are super achievers. But if all you’ve known is success, or if you’ve forgotten what it took to achieve it, you risk becoming obsessed with accomplishments and affirmation,” Hill said. And if you’re assuming it’s easier to lay this wisdom on young minds when you have lived 52 years of life, well, that isn’t the case. Yes, he was brilliant and had talent, but what is any of that without hard work?

Top Comment by anonymous

4 year student. Smart. Selfless. Yes

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Grant Hill was exceptional from his Duke Blue Devils days!

When you think about greatness that goes beyond the game, Grant Hill’s name stands tall—and it all began with the Duke Blue Devils. During a heartfelt tribute, right before Hill’s Commencement Address, President of Duke University, Vincent Price, introduced Hill as “far more than a star athlete and teammate.” That’s not just praise—it’s a reminder of the kind of legacy Hill has built. Price captured the essence of Hill’s journey, praising how he blended his extraordinary athletic skills with a top-tier education.

Then came the reference to the assist that basketball fans can never forget. Price recalled how Hill delivered “the most famous assist in basketball history” to Christian Laettner, setting up The Shot that crushed Kentucky’s hopes and sent Duke to the 1992 Final Four. Hill himself summed it up perfectly: “Nothing gives me greater joy than being back on this campus. Of all the places I’ve played and all the jobs I’ve had, I am most [proud] to be known as a Blue Devil.”

It’s no wonder Jay Bilas, former Duke assistant coach, called him “the standard for what a complete player and a complete person can and should be.” And that wasn’t just talk. Hill’s time on Duke’s basketball team is etched in history. He played a key role in the Blue Devils’ back-to-back NCAA championships in 1991 and 1992—moments that still give Duke fans goosebumps.

So he wants nothing but great things for the graduates of this batch. What do you think?