10:12 p.m. EST, March 21, 2012|brian schmitz
A gold-plated championship belt, like the kind you see wrapped around a boxer's waist, hung in his locker.
Grant Hill laughed.
"I made the most free throws in practice, so I got the belt," Hill said of the Phoenix Suns' traveling trophy. "Steve (Nash) won't get in it. I'm ready for him, though. I'm Floyd Mayweather and he's Steve Pacquaio."
Can you tell that Grant is still having fun?
He returned to his Orlando home Wednesday with the Suns, a .500 team that's all but playing for recreational purposes only.
At 39, Hill could have hooked on with a playoff-caliber team last offseason, a grizzled free agent chasing a real championship belt.
But there's something to be said for loving where you live and the team you're on and playing the game for the joy of it.
"I think you get to the point where you're tired of moving and, I think I found a fountain of health (in Phoenix)," he said. "I had opportunities. My friends say, 'Why go to Phoenix? They're not going to do anything.'
"You play to win, but there's the joy of coming to work. That's rewarding. There's no guarantee anywhere you go. Winning a title is a hard thing."
It's no surprise that Hill urges his former teammates, Dwight Howard, to stay longterm in Orlando.
"As a resident," chuckled Hill, "I hope Dwight stays …. The grass is not always greener."
Hill also realizes that he can start for the rebuilding Suns, something a contender might not guaranteed him at his advanced age.
You can't blame him. He missed a lot of basketball during his seven seasons with the Magic, thanks to a damaged ankle that set back the franchise.
Magic fans have booed him lustily in the past — that's like booing Bambi, Betty White and Christmas eve cocoa — but the jeers were subdued Wednesday. The faithful were frustrated that Hill didn't stay and give the club a hometown discount after his $92.8 million contract expired.
The Magic weren't interested in continuing a forgettable saga that included six surgeries, five on his left ankle. "Bad karma," said Suns GM Lon Babby, who was Hill's agent at the time. "Grant knew he had to go."
Hill now relishes every day he is around the game now.
"Even though we lost Monday night in Miami … just to go through that with teammates, the frustration … it's a blessing. You appreciate it more when you've gone through adversity," he said.
Hill said he plans on playing next season and, if his body cooperates, one more after that.
He has been a medical marvel with the Suns, known for their expert training staff. Hill is the second-oldest player in the NBA "by a day" next to Kurt Thomas.
Hill is averaging just over 10 points and has missed just three games. He's being mentioned as a candidate for the all-defensive team and Monday night, collided with 260-pound LeBron James.
"There was a collision and the middle-aged man got up first," Hill cackled.
He credits hopping into the Suns' sci-fi-like cryo-chamber, a tub where cold nitrogen blasts can reach minus-275 degrees. Said Hill, "It helps an old guy heal faster."
Great for penguins, and 39-year-old basketball players, apparently.
bschmitz@tribune.com
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