George Hill (basketball)

George Hill
George Hill
Born	May 4, 1986 (age 40); Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2008–present
Known for	NBA player for Indiana Pacers and other teams

George Jesse Hill Jr. (born May 4, 1986) is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently competed for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). While attending Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), he received accolades such as the Summit League Player of the Year and was named an honorable mention All-American during his junior year.

Selected as the 26th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2008 NBA draft, Hill spent three seasons with the franchise before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in June 2011. Following five seasons in Indiana, he was dealt to the Utah Jazz in July 2016. Hill joined the Sacramento Kings as a free agent in July 2017 and was subsequently traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 2018, where he participated in his first NBA Finals. In December 2018, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Hill then signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in November 2020 and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in March 2021. He returned to Milwaukee as a free agent in August 2021 before rejoining the Pacers through a four-team trade.

Early life

Raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hill looked up to basketball legends such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, aspiring to reach the NBA himself. Reflecting on his ambition to be a first-round pick in the 2008 NBA draft, Hill referred to it as "my childhood dream." He developed his skills at St. Richard's Episcopal School and later at Broad Ripple High School, where he became one of Indiana’s top basketball talents. Hill was a member of Indianapolis’s renowned "Magnificent Seven," a collection of premier high school prospects that included Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Josh McRoberts, Rodney Carney, Eric Gordon, and Courtney Lee. Carney highlighted Hill’s early prowess, emphasizing his remarkable shooting ability and ball control.

In his senior season, Hill led the state by averaging 36.2 points per game, placing him fifth on the all-time single-season scoring list in Indiana High School Athletic Association history.

College career

Although offered scholarships from prominent programs such as Temple and Indiana, Hill opted for IUPUI to remain near his ailing great-grandfather, Gilbert Edison. After his great-grandfather passed away, Hill honored his advice by staying dedicated to IUPUI and turning down other opportunities.

During his sophomore campaign, Hill guided the IUPUI Jaguars to a conference co-best record. An injury sidelined him for his third year, requiring him to redshirt, but he returned strong to lead the Jaguars to a school-record 26 victories and an appearance in the Summit League Tournament finals, narrowly missing an NCAA tournament bid. Aside from the season affected by injury, IUPUI achieved a 61–30 record during Hill’s time there.

With one year of eligibility remaining, Hill entered the 2008 NBA draft, becoming only IUPUI’s second player to declare early and concluding his college career as the school’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,619 points.

San Antonio Spurs (2008–2011)

Despite drawing attention from NBA scouts during his collegiate years, Hill was initially absent from mock draft predictions due to his late entry declaration. After participating in workouts with several NBA franchises and delivering a strong performance at the Orlando pre-draft camp, Hill was anticipated to be selected in the second round.

However, on draft night, the San Antonio Spurs surprised many by choosing Hill with the 26th overall pick in the first round—making him the inaugural IUPUI player drafted and only the second athlete from The Summit League to be selected in the first round. The Spurs secured his services with a standard rookie contract that guaranteed two years, including team options for an additional two seasons.

2008–09 season

In his debut summer league appearance as a Spur on July 14, 2008, Hill posted 17 points and 8 rebounds while limiting fellow draftee O. J. Mayo to a 5-of-17 shooting performance, aiding the Spurs to victory. Nonetheless, Hill faced challenges with his shooting throughout the summer league, converting just 2 of 25 field goal attempts (8.0%) and one out of six three-point shots (16.7%). He participated in three out of four summer league contests, averaging 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists over 31.7 minutes per game.

During the Utah Revue, Hill led his squad with an average of 12.9 points across four games but continued to struggle offensively, particularly from beyond the arc where he shot only 21.4%. He opened the Revue by topping all scorers with 21 points in an 82–57 triumph over the Utah Jazz. Following less impactful games—including a six-point effort against the NBDL Ambassadors and an 18-point showing in a defeat to the Dallas Mavericks—Hill concluded with a crucial performance despite inefficient shooting (1–7), sinking two important free throws and forcing a turnover that helped secure victory against the undefeated Atlanta Hawks.

Hill began his NBA tenure with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2008 season, making his debut on November 4 against the Dallas Mavericks after missing two games due to a sprained left thumb. In 15 minutes of play, he tallied 11 points along with one steal and one assist. Initially serving as the main backup point guard, Hill was elevated to starter following an injury to Tony Parker. Once Parker and Manu Ginóbili returned from injuries, Hill's playing time diminished. He wrapped up his rookie year averaging 5.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest. His playoff debut came in Game 2 of the Spurs’ first-round matchup against Dallas, although he saw only five minutes on court.

2009–10 season

During the off-season, Hill focused on sharpening his point guard abilities under player development coach Chad Forcier and worked on perfecting his jump shot with Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland. Taking guidance from former Spur Bruce Bowen, he emphasized improving his corner three-point accuracy, reportedly making around 8,000 corner threes by training camp.

This rigorous preparation translated into significant improvements during the 2009–10 campaign. Hill increased his average playing time from 16.5 to nearly 29 minutes per game and started in 43 contests, predominantly filling in during Tony Parker's absences due to injury. His scoring output more than doubled while his field goal percentage improved by approximately 7.5 percentage points; additionally, his three-point shooting percentage rose by nearly eight points. On April 1, Hill recorded career-best numbers with 30 points, five steals, and seven assists in a victory over the Houston Rockets. By season’s end, he was tied for second place in voting for the Most Improved Player award alongside Kevin Durant and Marc Gasol.

In the opening-round playoff series versus Dallas Mavericks, Hill overcame an ankle injury setback after scoring no points in Game 1. He followed up with seven and seventeen points in Games 2 and 3 respectively before delivering a standout Game 4 performance: a career playoff high of 29 points on efficient shooting (11-for-16 overall and five-for-six from three), leading San Antonio to victory. Over the series, Hill averaged 22.3 points per game and played a pivotal role in helping the Spurs secure a six-game series win.

2010–11 season

On March 28, 2011, Hill equaled his personal best by scoring 30 points in a closely contested 119–114 defeat to the Houston Rockets.

Indiana Pacers (2011–2016)

Hill was traded to his hometown franchise, the Indiana Pacers, during the 2011 NBA draft on June 23, 2011. This transaction involved sending the rights to Kawhi Leonard (15th overall pick), Dāvis Bertāns (42nd pick), and Erazem Lorbek to San Antonio in exchange for Hill.

Initially serving as Darren Collison’s backup, Hill sustained an ankle injury on January 31, 2012, sidelining him for 12 games. He returned on February 22 and secured a starting position for the rest of the season. Throughout that campaign, Hill averaged 9.6 points per game while shooting .442 from the field.

During the playoffs, Hill consistently scored in double figures across all five games against the Orlando Magic as the Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In game 3 against the Miami Heat—who ultimately won the championship—he achieved a playoff career-best with 20 points and 5 assists.

Hill re-committed to Indiana on July 13, 2012, signing a reported five-year contract valued at $40 million.

In the 2012–13 season, Hill made pivotal game-winning shots against both the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers. The Pacers progressed to the Eastern Conference Finals but were defeated in seven games by the defending champion Miami Heat.

On February 7, 2014, Hill recorded a career-high 37 points alongside 9 rebounds and 8 assists in an overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

After missing the first 28 games of the subsequent season due to a left knee injury, Hill returned on December 23, contributing 15 points off the bench in a win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Hill notched his first career triple-double on February 27, 2015, posting 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in a triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He reached a season-high of 30 points on March 14 during a loss to the Boston Celtics.

On February 19, 2016, Hill recorded nine points and nine assists while matching his personal best with 11 rebounds in a Pacers victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Utah Jazz (2016–2017)

On July 7, 2016, Hill was traded to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team deal involving Indiana and the Atlanta Hawks. He made his debut on October 25 against the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring 19 points and handing out six assists in a 113–104 loss. On November 7, Hill earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 20.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds during a week where Utah went 3–1. Returning from an eight-game absence on November 23, he contributed 22 points to help snap a four-game losing streak with a win over the Denver Nuggets. Following a sprained toe that caused him to miss thirteen games, Hill came back on December 29 versus the Philadelphia 76ers, scoring 21 points. He posted a season-best of 30 points on January 21, 2017, in a victory over his former team, the Pacers, then surpassed that with a career-high of 34 points on March 3 in a win against the Brooklyn Nets.

Sacramento Kings (2017–2018)

On July 10, 2017, Hill agreed to a three-year contract reportedly worth $57 million with the Sacramento Kings. The agreement was fully guaranteed for its initial two seasons with only $1 million guaranteed for the final year (2019–20).

Cleveland Cavaliers (2018)

On February 8, 2018, Hill was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team transaction that also involved the Kings and the Utah Jazz. The Cavaliers advanced to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals; however, Hill missed a pivotal free throw that could have won Game 1. Following this, teammate JR Smith lost control of the rebound, which led to overtime where Cleveland was defeated 124–114. Ultimately, the Cavaliers were swept in four games by the reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors.

Milwaukee Bucks (2018–2020)

Hill was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks on December 7, 2018, through a three-team trade also including the Washington Wizards. During his tenure, Hill contributed to Milwaukee reaching their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2001, where they fell in six games to the eventual champions, the Toronto Raptors. After that season concluded, Hill secured a three-year contract worth $29 million to stay with the Bucks. On October 28, 2019, he posted 19 points and collected 8 rebounds in a victory over his former team, the Cavaliers.

In the 2019–20 campaign, Hill led the league in three-point shooting percentage. He played an instrumental role in organizing a player-led wildcat strike during the 2020 NBA bubble as a protest against police brutality. Despite finishing with a top Eastern Conference record of 56–17, Milwaukee was ousted in five games by the fifth-seeded Miami Heat in the Conference Semifinals.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2020–2021)

Hill was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 24, 2020, as part of a four-team trade that also involved the New Orleans Pelicans and Denver Nuggets. On January 24, 2021, he sustained a fracture to his right thumb during what would be his final appearance for Oklahoma City and subsequently underwent surgical repair.

Philadelphia 76ers (2021)

On March 25, 2021, Hill was moved to the Philadelphia 76ers. The team waived him on August 3, 2021.

Return to Milwaukee (2021–2023)

Hill returned to the Milwaukee Bucks on August 6, 2021, signing a two-year deal valued at $8 million. On April 8, 2022, he experienced an abdominal strain during a game against the Detroit Pistons, resulting in an indefinite absence. He rejoined Milwaukee’s lineup on May 7, contributing 11 minutes in an important Game 3 victory over the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.

Return to Indiana (2023)

On February 9, 2023, Hill was traded back to his hometown team, the Indiana Pacers, along with Jordan Nwora and Serge Ibaka, as part of a four-team trade involving the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns, marking his return after seven years away.

Player profile

At the time of the draft, ESPN noted that Hill possessed a wingspan measuring approximately 6'9". His athleticism combined with length and physical strength were significant advantages; entering the league with strong defensive skills ready for NBA competition but requiring further offensive refinement.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich commended Hill as a multifaceted player: "He’s an excellent all-around basketball talent—relentless defender, scorer, passer, and team-oriented." Hill described himself as a combo guard who brings energy primarily through defense and disrupting passing lanes. The Spurs selected him to serve as backup point guard behind All-Star Tony Parker.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 77 || 7 || 16.5 || .403 || .329 || .781 || 2.1 || 1.8 || .6 || .3 || 5.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 78 || 43 || 29.2 || .478 || .399 || .772 || 2.6 || 2.9 || .9 || .3 || 12.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 76 || 5 || 28.3 || .453 || .377 || .863 || 2.6 || 2.5 || .9 || .3 || 11.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 50 || 9 || 25.5 || .442 || .367 || .778 || 3.0 || 2.9 || .8 || .3 || 9.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 76 || 76 || 34.5 || .443 || .368 || .817 || 3.7 || 4.7 || 1.1 || .3 || 14.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 76 || 76|| 32.0|| .442|| .365|| .807|| 3.7|| 3.5||1.0|| .3||10.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;" | Indiana |43||36||29.5||.477||.358||.790||4.2||5.1||1.0||.3||16.1 |-

| style="text-align:left;" | Indiana 
|74||73||34.1||.441||.406||.760||4.0||3.5|||1.1|||0.2|||12.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Utah 
|49||49||31.5||.477||.403||.801||3.4||4.2||1.0||0.2|||16.9
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" | Sacramento 
|43||36||26.6||.469||.453||.778||2.7||2.8|||0.9|||0..3|||10..3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Cleveland 
|24||24|||27..9|||0..444|||0..351|||0..805|||2..7|||2..8|||0..9|||0..6
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;" |
| style="text-align:left;" | Cleveland 
|13|||13|||26..5|||0..514|||0..464|||0..850|||2..1|||2..8|||0..9|||0..1
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee 
|47|||0|||20..4|||0..428|||0..280|||0..815|||2..6|||2..1|||0..9|||0..1
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" |
| style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee 
|59|||2|||21..5|||0..516|||style=background:#cfecec;|'".460"'*|||0..842|||3..0|||3..1|||0..8|||0..1
|- 
| rowspan=2 style=text-align:left; |
| style=text-align:left; 2020–21 Oklahoma City Thunder season 
|14||||26..4||||508||||386||||840||||2..1||||3..1||||0..9||||0..1||||11..8
|- 
| style=text-align:left; 2020–21 Philadelphia 76ers season 
|16||||18..9||||442||||391||||760||||2..0||||1..9||||0..7||||0..2||||6..0
|- 
| style=text-align:left;  
| style=text-align:left; 2021–22 Milwaukee Bucks season 
|54||||23..2||||429||||306||||.919||||2..9||||2..2||||.8||||.1||||6..2
|- 
rowspan=2 style=text-align:left; 2022

style=text-align:left; 2022–23 Milwaukee Bucks season 35||||19..1||||447||||311||||739||||19||||25||||05||||01||||50 |- style=text-align:left; 2022–23 Indiana Pacers season 11||||15..1||||559||||524||||889||||16||||19||||06||||03||||52 |- class=sortbottom style=text-align:center; colspan=2 Career 915||||484||||26..8||||457||||380||||806||||30||||31||||09||||03||||10-4

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 4 || 0 || 19.0 || .333 || .375 || .857 || 2.0 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 5.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 10 || 8 || 34.4 || .451 || .379 || .838 || 3.1 || 0.7 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 13.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 6 || 1 || 31.5 || .400 || .267 || .867 || 5.0 || 2.3 || 1.5 || 0.3 || 11.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 11 || 11 || 31.5 || .448 || .375 || .848 || 2.3 || 2.9 || 1.2 || 0.3 || 13.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 18 || 18 || 38.1 || .401 || .358 || .829 || 3.7 || 4.3 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 14.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2014 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 19 || 19 || 36.2 || .444 || .364 || .721 || 3.7 || 3.0 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 12.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 7 || 7 || 33.6 || .561 || .481 || .818 || 2.7 || 2.1 || 0.9 || 0.1||13.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2017 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 8||8||35.1||.469||.387||.724||4.1||3.6||0.3||0.1||15.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 19||18||29.3||.450||.314||.774||2.2||2.2||0.5||0.4||9.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019 | style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee

|15||0||26.3||.534||.417||.818||3.5||2.8||0.9||0.3||11.5

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 2020 
| style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee 
|10||1||26.8||.478||.357||.808||2.4||3.1||0.6||0||9.5 
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2021 
| style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia 
|12||0||17.1||.442||.421||.769||1.3||1.5||0.7||0.3||4.7 
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2022 
| style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee 
|5||0||15.3||0.200|||.500|||.1000|||1,2|||0,6|||0,0|||0,0|||1,0

|- class="sortbottom"

|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
|144|||91|||30,2|||,452|||,372|||,802|||3,0|||2,6|||,9|||,2|||11,1

College

|-

|style="text-align:left"|2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 
|style="text-align:left"|IUPUI Jaguars men's basketball 
|29|||21|||28,4|||52,3|||41,2|||70,9|||4,5|||2,2|||1,4|||,2|||10,7

|-

|style="text-align:left"|2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 
|style="text-align:left"|IUPUI 
|29|||29|||35,1|||51,8|||32,0|||79,8|||6,0|||3,6|||1,7|||,3|||18,9

|-

|style="text-align:left"|2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 
|style="text-align:left"|IUPUI 
|5|||5|||28,4|||50,9|||30,8|||65,2|||5,4|||2,0|||1,6||||14,6

|-

|style="text-align:left"|2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 
|style="text-align:left"|IUPUI 
|32|||32|||36,8|||54,5|||45,0|||81,2|||6,8|||4,3|||1,8||||.4, 21,5

|- class=sortbottom

|style=text-align:center colspan=2 Career
|95||||87||||33,3||||52,9||||40,4||||78,5||||5,8||||3,3||||1,6||||0,3||||17

Personal life

On January 16, 2016, Hill and his partner Samantha welcomed their first son, Zayden Jaxon Hill. Their daughter, Zoë Jessie Hill, was born on January 4, 2018. The couple tied the knot later that year on August 13, 2018. Hill graduated from IUPUI's School of Liberal Arts on May 12, 2018, where he had the distinction of serving as one of the two student speakers during the ceremony.

Hill possesses an 850-acre ranch located in Texas Hill Country, close to his San Antonio residence used during the offseason. He employs a team of 16 ranch hands to care for a variety of animals, including fallow deer, kangaroos, wildebeests, elk, antelope, scimitar and Arabian oryx, ostriches, and zebras.

External links