30 best NBA players to never win a championship

13. Grant Hill

For basketball fans, the career of Grant Hill presents perhaps one of the best (and saddest) what-if scenarios in NBA history. During his first six seasons in the league with the Detroit Pistons, Hill was absolutely dominant and was improving with each passing year. He was undoubtedly on his way to becoming an all-around superstar as he entered his late 20s and his prime. However, that was all cut short for him thanks to injuries.

As he joined the Orlando Magic for the 2000-01 season, Hill’s bout with injuries began as he played just four games for the entire year. The issues persisted as he played just 33 combined games over the next two seasons before not playing at all in the 2003-04 season due to an ankle injury. By that time, the injuries lingered and he was never going to be the player that he could’ve been.

When you look back at his six seasons with the Pistons, though, it’s hard not to be wowed with the forward’s level of performance. Hill averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He could truly do it all on both ends of the floor and do so at an elite level.

Though he never regained that form or anything remotely close, he did manage to stay healthy (thanks, Suns training staff) and become a veteran role player late in his career. However, his early play and the question of what if still give him an air of greatness that fans remember fondly.