Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 at 1:30 pm  |  161 responses

Grant Hill Responds Strongly to the Fab Five


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Last Sunday, ESPN aired a tremendous documentary about Michigan‘s famed Fab Five team. One of the most compelling — and hilarious — parts of the doc was when Jalen Rose and his teammates told the world what their teenage selves used to think of Grant Hill and the Duke Blue Devils.

Rose admitted that he was jealous of Hill‘s upbringing and solid family life (a complete 180 degrees from Jalen’s own childhood), and Jimmy King summarized what his team thought of those Duke teams: “I thought Christian Laettner was soft; a bitch. And I thought Grant Hill was a bitch.”

Grant Hill caught the documentary, and promised to fire back.

And today, he did just that, in the NY Times (with further thoughts to be posted on his own website later):

It was a sad and somewhat pathetic turn of events, therefore, to see friends narrating this interesting documentary about their moment in time and calling me a bitch and worse, calling all black players at Duke “Uncle Toms” and, to some degree, disparaging my parents for their education, work ethic and commitment to each other and to me. I should have guessed there was something regrettable in the documentary when I received a Twitter apology from Jalen before its premiere. I am aware Jalen has gone to some length to explain his remarks about my family in numerous interviews, so I believe he has some admiration for them.

In his garbled but sweeping comment that Duke recruits only “black players that were ‘Uncle Toms,’ ” Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families. He leaves us all guessing exactly what he believes today.

I caution my fabulous five friends to avoid stereotyping me and others they do not know in much the same way so many people stereotyped them back then for their appearance and swagger. I wish for you the restoration of the bond that made you friends, brothers and icons. I am proud of my family. I am proud of my Duke championships and all my Duke teammates. And, I am proud I never lost a game against the Fab Five.

Game.Set.Match. That ending was killer.

I think Hill might’ve missed the point that Rose and his teammates were trying to convey: mainly, that this is what they thought of Duke and its players back then, as very young men. Nevertheless, it’s a very strong response from Grant Hill.

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  • Chet

    I would like to address a couple of things. I don’t mean to pile on, but just to speak my mind. One, Duke has always been a great, All-American institution that recruits a very good basketball team and citizens on and off the court of high character.

    The tradition that our school has won many games and championships time and time again possessing the likes of Grant Hill, Shane Battier, Elton Brand, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Corey Maggette, Jason Williams, Chris Carrawell, Kyrie Irving, Trajan Langdon, JJ Redick, Thomas Hill, and countless others mean a lot to us. No disrespect to Michigan fans, but to infer that Duke doesn’t recruit from the inner city is a bit of an insult. I understand that Jalen said what was on his mind at 18, but you can choose what to say or what not to say in the documentary without being as offensive. But I don’t take as much offense, because Michigan did not actually win in the Jalen Rose years.

    Duke also will recruit Austin Rivers, Marshall Plumlee, Quinn Cook, and Michael Gbinje. Cook grew up without a father, and had to struggle to make a living. Rivers and Plumlee will be dynamo freshman, and building a college team is about building a quality team as well as high character individuals. Rose’s ‘Uncle Tom’ insult, though made at that age, would be cause for Duke to not recruit him.

    In addition, Michigan Mike is not an instigator. He barely said anything that would remotely cause controversy. More than anything, he actually helped this conversation. He’s added to the conversation in mentioning the article from the Post Dispatch, as Bryan Burwell is a well-esteemed writer who writes from the neutral perspective. And second, the Ben Ireland/Jimmy G controversy needs to end.

    No matter how many ratings this 30 for 30 documentary may have obtained, it doesn’t change the fact that Duke is and will be a great college to attend academically and for basketball for years to come, and the ability to choose your words wisely count the most.

  • Michigan Mike

    I would like to state that I am not an instigator. I’m a proud family man who was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I take back my earlier comments made about Grant Hill, as he has every right to be upset at Jalen Rose’s response. At first, I thought Rose stated that it was only what he felt at 18, but not now, but that might not seem to be the case. To see the ‘Fab Five’ hurl insults at Duke alleging that the black players there are ‘Uncle Toms’ or that they only recruit wealthy athletes is an upsetting allegation. And the fact that Rose committed a DUI recently, was just a boneheaded move. As a basketball fan though, we need to see the Duke-Michigan rivalry develop, as I will still support my basketball team. Players are too friendly with each other these days, and we need to see games like the Bad Boys’ Pistons team, Bulls-Knicks, Bulls-Pistons, Celtics-Lakers, Spurs-Suns, etc. It’s somewhat refreshing that Jalen and the Fab Five didn’t always like their opponents, it’s just maybe they did step over the line, and far over it. But I’ll still support my team, as there are a couple of solid players in Hardaway Jr., Darius Morris, Novak, and Morgan, so there’s hope that my team can continue its rise back to prominence.

    Games are more fun when there’s physicality, trash talking, intensity, and heated conversations on the court. It shows the passion among the players in playoff games. I think today’s players are starting to get too soft, and actually Duke’s players would be the ones who could actually dish out the trash talking, because they beat my team head to head more times than not. As fans, we may want to see more sportsmanship from our players. I think to some level, this discussion is overblown. At the end of the day, I’d just like to see a good basketball game.

  • http://jamison526@aol.com JimmyG

    The joke of it all is that we are sitting here, berating each other here for comments, while anyone remotely mentioned in the 30 for 30 doc will likely make far more money than any of us will ever make. It’s just two athletes who dislike each other. Clearly, there isn’t much a classism issue between Michigan and Duke anymore other than Duke is an elite basketball program that’s won many championship titles, with Grant Hill, Laetter, Hurley, with Shane Battier, etc. Michigan’s won one in 1989 with Glen Rice and crew. Opinions do matter and shape how we view teams, whether somewhat claims we “instigate” or not. No one had my back when Ben Ireland attacked me on this message board, and so the later comment was to address him, and him only.

    Baller4Life, clearly you need to get a life. Real talk, son. This discussion is only as relevant as we make it out to be, and really, it’s millionaires squabbling with each other. People will still go to Michigan, and people will still go to Duke. They are both quality academic institutions with sound athletic programs. It’s a blessing that players even get to play division I college basketball, and it’s something that less than .1% of us even get a chance to do.

    So yes, I do respect Duke. Are they a very good team that will be for years to come? Yes. But do I need to love them, just because they have been bad mouthed by Jalen Rose? No. I can choose who I want to root for, and I have the freedom to choose which teams to root for. That said, the underlying aspect of what made the Fab Five so intriguing is that they were so fun to watch when they played. It’s the aspect of five brash and supremely freshmen, who have yet to develop and mature as polished players, go up against the defending champions being Duke, as a 6 seed. Not saying it was David vs. Goliath, but it was more fun to root for Michigan given their exciting style of play, and especially when there has always been a couple of media blowhards who always picked the favorite to no end. At the end of the day, good players make it to the pros, and in college basketball, players will psyche themselves up no matter what to give themselves a competitive edge, whether if they have to demonize them mentally or what. It comes down to wins and losses, and players really just want to win.

  • Frank

    Jalen was wrong to suggest that Grant Hill’s childhood upbringing was anything less than authentic, as all of our experiences are real and indulging. Obviously, we’re not supposed to take his comments seriously since he was 18 when he felt this way of the world. At the same time, we’re allowed to smoke, vote, and die in the war at this age. And to mention he’s the producer of this documentary, so he could elect to choose his words more wisely and refrain from making controversial statements. To add to that, he committed a DUI around the same time the 30 for 30 documentary was made. Are we supposed to take him that seriously? The real opinion I would look to from Michigan, would be from Steve Fisher, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, and alum Glen Rice, the real voices of reason, because the players have made at least one All-Star team. I was a fan of Jalen Rose’s game as a player, but I have little respect for him as a commentator on ESPN, as he continues to make puzzling statements and actions time and time again that leave one scratching their head. Bottom line, he needs to get his act together or the network he’s on will find a new replacement.

  • Chet

    Duke is a great school that has a wealth of tradition, and I frankly don’t care what Jalen stated in the documentary, because he has admitted that he was wrong. Duke has won many national championships, is an elite academic school, and possesses many college and NBA greats such as Grant Hill, Elton Brad, Corey Maggette, Shane Battier, Chris Carrawell, Jason Williams, Chris Duhon, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Kyrie Irving, Bobby Hurley, and Christian Laettner. Not to mention that Austin Rivers, Michael Gbinje, Quinn Cook, and Marshall Plumlee will be the new recruits to our team, so our team does recruit inner city kids. Our team recruited Chris Webber, an inner city kid himself, so don’t act like Duke didn’t recruit inner city kids in his day.

    Also, Michigan Mike is not an instigator. He’s added to the conversation. That Burwell piece was from the Post Dispatch was a refreshing read. Bryan Burwell is an esteemed writer, and that article was a great read, as it was from a neutral opinion and perspective.

    But to be on point, Duke is and always will be a university with great prestige and tradition, and is a great academic and athletic institution. Grant Hill may have overreacted a bit, but was rightfully on point at the same time. Gotta give it to my man, Grant Hill, who is always a class act. Can’t say the same for Jalen, because he recently committed a DUI. For Jalen, he should just hide out, and move to NBATV, where he’d be free of controversy. He was clearly in the wrong for making preconceived notions of my school, but sometimes opponents will try to do anything to win. I’m excited for Duke next year, as if Irving stays, our team with Rivers, the Plumlees, Gbinje and Cook will be explosive, and should be back to title contenders. Peace and love

  • Michigan Mike

    While waiting around, hopefully this doesn’t post twice. That said, I must say….Thanks Chet, for your insight. I’m a proud, middle-aged family man myself, who went to school at the U of M. I was around to see the great play of the Fab Five, though they didn’t win any championships. But they were fun to watch. I retract my first statement earlier, as that was not me, and Grant Hill is a good citizen with honest feelings. It was just that the 30 for 30 doc wasn’t as great as I hoped it would be. Jalen was always the brashest player at Michigan, so I was concerned that this article woud be the result. If the documentary showed the Fab Five’s ascent to the title game as a 6 seed, or the recruiting process of what it took for Steve Fisher to get those kids to my school, that would’ve been nice. It’s a shame that all I remember from this now is the controversy that was created, and unneccessarily. Duke’s a great school, and should be well-respected. As a fan of Michigan though, I’d like for the rivalries to just be left on the basketball court, and ideally, to be kept away from the media.

  • Michigan Mike

    While waiting around, hopefully this doesn’t post twice. That said, I must say….Thanks Chet, for your insight. I was around to see the great play of the Fab Five, though they didn’t win any championships. But they were fun to watch. I retract my first statement earlier, as that was not me, and Grant Hill is a good citizen with honest feelings. It was just that the 30 for 30 doc wasn’t as great as I hoped it would be. Jalen was always the brashest player at Michigan, so I was concerned that this article woud be the result. If the documentary showed the Fab Five’s ascent to the title game as a 6 seed, or the recruiting process of what it took for Steve Fisher to get those kids to my school, that would’ve been nice. It’s a shame that all I remember from this now is the controversy that was created, and unneccessarily. Duke’s a great school, and should be well-respected. As a fan of Michigan though, I’d like for the rivalries to just be left on the basketball court, and ideally, to be kept away from the media.

  • hambone

    jalen dont drink and drive..you will spill your drank….

  • x47

    People need to be clear on things, Jalen and Co still sees coach K and Duke as a program that goes after the “best” athletes and seek out a specific type of player.

    They do and that is one reason that they are always in contention to win Championships year after year after year..

    Is that any different from society today? You have jobs only wanting people from a certain college, ethnic whatever because of certain things.

    People have taken tests to judge their mental make up and other things, there is a big difference in the mental make up in MOST single and 2 parent households in what type of things they understand and are able to understand. (notice I did say MOST)

    Duke recruits for the long run and may stray from time to time with the 1 year players but they try to keep things consistant.

    Jalen thinks like this still as alot of people hate Duke for no clear reason as they are the “enemies” of UNC, MJ. If you ask one person why they hate Duke they honestly couldnt say.

    “they think they are better than everyone”, umm wouldnt you want your program to think that and have a “swagga” to it? Do you think these McDonalds all americans don’t have a “swagga” about them to be who they are? Dont so many people love “Mamba” and yet everyone in the NBA will tell you he thinks he is better than everone else.

    People today have no clear reason as to why they hate Duke…It costs more money to go to UNC than Duke so which school is really the “uppity” school?? Wouldnt a uppity school charge so much more to kids so that only the “Richers” would go there?

  • baller4life

    @MichiganMike, @JimmyG, great reponse men! I was hoping y’all were still following this forum. For the record, I’m still a fan of the Fab 5 and root for The U of M Wolverines over Michigan State every time they play @MichiganMike. Kudos to you sir. Respect.
    Stand up and be a voice brothuh!

    @Chet & @Frank I hear ya.

    LoL low blow @Hambone

    Instigating is not always a bad thing if it leads to discussion. I definitely like the tone of the conversation even if people are taking shots at me. SMH. I just don’t like using the phrase “Uncle Tom” lightly. It’s disrespectful to the student-athletes and to their families (single parent or multi-parented)

    @BryanCrawford
    For the record here is Elton Brand’s response: http://www.slamonline.com/online/media/slam-tv/2011/03/elton-brand-on-fab-5-documentary-the-tournament/

  • FirstBlackCanadianLadBrett1953

    And you folk wonder why Detroit,Chicago,Cleveland,Newark,Toronto,Montreal,Vancouver,
    Halifax and other U.S. and Canadian inner cities are dangerous crap-holes? It’s this
    “thug-life,” “keepin’ in real” (retarded,that is!!!),”black authenticity” code which forces a handsome,erudite,gentleman,scholar and GREAT athlete such as Grant Hill to
    apologize for not looking,behaving,dressing and speaking like a penny-ante ghetto
    punk,and EVEN MAKING HILL’S RELATIVELY PRIVILEGED BACKGROUND A QUESTION OF HIS TRUE BLACKNESS!!!I’m glad I’m 58-July 6-and grew up in an era in which achievement was still valued and not denigrated by mainstream black opinion!!!

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