Malcolm Hill (basketball)
Malcolm Hill | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 26, 1995 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Known for | Playing for Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League; collegiate career with Illinois Fighting Illini |
Malcolm Hill (born October 26, 1995) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League. He competed at the collegiate level with the Illinois Fighting Illini.
High school career
During his junior year, Hill averaged 23.8 points per game while shooting 44% from beyond the arc, which led him to verbally commit to Illinois and coach Bruce Weber on September 12, 2011. Before making this decision, he had considered several other programs such as Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State, Providence, UCLA, Xavier, and Wisconsin.
In his senior season, Hill elevated his scoring output from 666 to 708 points, averaging 25.3 points along with 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 1.9 blocks each game. He placed third in the voting for Mr. Illinois Basketball, trailing behind Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor.
Following the appointment of head coach John Groce on March 29, 2012, Hill confirmed his commitment to Illinois by signing his National Letter of Intent on November 14, 2012.
College career
Hill earned his first starting role for the Fighting Illini on February 9, 2014, joining fellow freshman Kendrick Nunn and contributing 11 points to snap an eight-game losing streak against Penn State.
As a sophomore on January 7, 2015, Hill posted a personal best of 28 points to lead Illinois to a home victory over the 11th-ranked Maryland, stepping up while leading scorer Rayvonte Rice was out.
In his junior year, Hill was selected as one of ten finalists for the 2016 Jerry West Award, which honors the nation’s top collegiate shooting guard. He set a new career scoring record with 39 points during a double-overtime defeat to Penn State, marking the seventh-highest single-game point total in Illini history. Additionally, Hill became the sole Illinois player to accumulate at least 600 points, 200 rebounds, and 100 assists in one season.
On November 13, 2016, Hill topped his previous career high by scoring 40 points in a win over Northern Kentucky. After completing his senior year, he received an invitation to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an annual showcase for elite college seniors.
Star Hotshots (2017)
Undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft, Hill joined the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2017 NBA Summer League before signing with the Star Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association for the 2017 PBA Governors' Cup. During his stint there, he averaged 26 points, 11.7 rebounds, and three assists per game.
Telekom Baskets Bonn (2017–2018)
In September of 2017, Hill inked a deal with Telekom Baskets Bonn, competing in Germany’s top-tier league, the Basketball Bundesliga.
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (2018–2019)
Following his initial season in Germany, Hill participated with the Utah Jazz during the 2018 NBA Summer League. In October 2018, he secured a contract with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg to compete in the 2018–19 Basketball Bundesliga campaign.
BC Astana (2019–2020)
Hill inked a deal with BC Astana of the Kazakhstan Championship on August 16, 2019. During his tenure there, he posted averages of 20.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per contest.
Additionally, Hill took part in The Basketball Tournament 2020 representing House of 'Paign, a squad comprised of Illinois alumni, where he contributed 14 points and four rebounds in their opening round victory.
Hapoel Jerusalem (2020–2021)
On August 17, 2020, Hill agreed to terms with Hapoel Jerusalem, competing in both the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the Basketball Champions League.
Birmingham Squadron (2021)
Hill signed with the New Orleans Pelicans on October 9, 2021, but was released three days later. Subsequently, on October 25, he joined the Birmingham Squadron as an affiliate player. Over 14 games, he averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.6 steals in approximately 31.6 minutes per game.
Atlanta Hawks (2021–2022)
On December 22, 2021, Hill secured a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks. Across three appearances, he averaged 5.7 points and 2 rebounds while playing an average of 15.3 minutes per game.
Chicago Bulls (2022–2023)
Hill initially signed a 10-day contract with the Chicago Bulls on January 14, 2022, followed by a two-way contract on January 19. He renewed his two-way agreement on September 7, 2022, before being waived by Chicago on February 21, 2023.
New Orleans Pelicans / Return to Birmingham (2023–2024)
The Birmingham Squadron reacquired Hill on February 24, 2023. Later that year, on September 30, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans, but was waived on October 22. He rejoined Birmingham eight days afterward.
On January 27, 2024, Hill signed another 10-day contract with New Orleans but did not participate in any games before returning to Birmingham on February 8. Subsequently, on February 22, he signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans and was waived again on October 21.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta | 3 || 0 || 15.3 || .625 || .600 || 1.000 || 2.0 || .3 || 1.3 || .3 || 5.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 16 || 0 || 10.4 || .432 || .323 || .700 || 1.8 || .4 || .2 || .1 || 3.4 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 5 || 0 || 1.8 || .500 || .333 || — || .6 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 24 || 0 || 9.2 || .464 || .359 || .786 || 1.6 || .3 || .3 || .1 || 3.2
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14 | style="text-align:left;"| Illinois | 35 || 12 || 14.1 || .383 || .341 || .770 || 2.4 || .7 || .3 || .1 || 4.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2014–15 | style="text-align:left;"| Illinois | 33 || 32 || 30.6 || .443 || .389 || .781 || 4.8 || 1.3 || .8 || .2 || 14.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16 | style="text-align:left;"| Illinois | 34 || 34 || 35.1 || .436 || .314 || .821|| 6.6|| 3.3|| 1.2|| .4|| 18.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;"| Illinois | 35|| 35||33.3|| .434|| .355|| .784||5.1||2.9|| 1.2|| .4||17.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |137||113||28.2|| .433|| .351|| .795||4.7||2.1|| .9|| .3||13.5
International career
In June 2015, Hill received an invitation to join the training camp for the 2015 U.S. Pan American Men's Basketball team held at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The tournament took place from July 21 to 25 in Toronto, Canada. However, he did not make the final team roster.
Personal life
Hill was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and relocated to Belleville, Illinois, when he was four years old. While he initially participated in soccer and baseball, he shifted his focus to basketball at an early age. His father, Malcolm, competed in NCAA Division II basketball for the UMSL Tritons during the early 1990s.
During the summer of 2012, Hill was diagnosed with Thoracic outlet syndrome and underwent surgery to address a blood clot in his right upper arm. After several months of rehabilitation, he successfully recovered.