NBA: Each team’s greatest comeback from injury in franchise history

Greatest injury comeback in Orlando Magic history: Grant Hill

Broken ankle

Grant Hill had quite the promising career coming out of Duke University. After being taken third overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, he took home the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year award, averaging 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He became quite the playmaking forward right away alongside Jerry Stackhouse and company.

During the 1999-00 season, he hit his peak, producing 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest on 48.9 percent shooting from the floor. During the postseason, though, his career hit a snag due to injury.

Hill broke his ankle in the 2000 NBA Playoffs and from there, his career hit a snag. He joined the Orlando Magic during the 2000 offseason via trade but his ankle injury would bug him for the next four seasons.

From 2000-03, Hill appeared in just 57 total games for the Orlando Magic. He would sit out the entire 2003-04 season due to the injury as well. Things changed for the better in 2004-05 though, when he produced 19.7 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game through 67 appearances. He made the final All-Star appearance of his career with the Magic that season.

His injury would linger the following two seasons and he would end up joining the Phoenix Suns during free agency. During his time with the Magic, he put up 16.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game through 200 total games.