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Magic Has Major Hill To Climb

December 27, 2000 / 2:46 PM EST / CBS/AP

Grant Hill will undergo season-ending surgery on his ankle, a devastating blow to a Magic team that hoped the five-time All-Star would lead them to an NBA title.

Hill, acquired from Detroit in the offseason, is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 months, general manager John Gabriel said Wednesday.

"Our focus is to put Grant Hill in the best possible position to return as the player that we all know he is," Gabriel said. "We have great confidence in the outcome and wish Grant a speedy recovery."

The 6-foot-8 forward was originally injured at the end of last season while with the Pistons. He had surgery April 28 to repair a broken bone in his left ankle in which four pins and a plate were inserted.

He appeared in only four games for the Magic, who are 12-16 and third in the Atlantic Division. He is averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.25 steals in 33.3 minutes a game.

Hill was acquired by Orlando on Aug. 3 in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pistons for Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace.

"Obviously, this isn't the way that I wanted to begin my Magic career," said Hill, whose ankle injury forced him to miss the Sydney Olympics.

"I am optimistic about the rehab process and look forward to getting back onto the court and helping this team achieve its ultimate goals."

Team physician Dr. Joe Billings said a plate and five screws will be removed from the ankle. A bone graft from his pelvis will be done and new screws will be reinserted.

"We feel this operation will give Grant the best chance at a full recovery," said Billings, who will consult on the surgery.

Hill is one of the NBA's highest-paid players, with a seven-year, $94 million contract with the Magic.

"We are very disappointed by this development, but the ultimate goal is to get Grant Hill healthy and back in uniform," Magic coach Doc Rivers said.

"Our goals as a team remain the same, and we look forward to the battles and challenges ahead. We feel the same way today about Grant as we did the day we signed him, and we look forward to him helping us in the future."

Hill was the third player chosen in the 1994 NBA draft. He was selected by the Pistons from Duke, where he was an All-American. He has averaged 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists a game.

Hill started five straight NBA All-Star Games and led the fan voting in 1995 and 1996. In 1996-97, he won the IBM Award, which measues a player's overall contributions to his team.

He shared the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1994-95 with Jason Kidd when he was picked for the league's All-Rookie team. Hill was a second team All-Star in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.