Duke Alumnus Grant Hill to Speak at 2025 Commencement Ceremony

Event will conclude the Duke centennial celebration and mark the 100th anniversary of Duke’s first graduating class

Grant Hill
Grant Hill helped Duke win two NCAA men's basketball titles before a professional career that made him an NBA Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist. Now a university trustee, Hill will speak at the 2025 commencement ceremony.

Duke University will welcome business leader, Blue Devil and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Grant Hill ’94 as this year’s commencement speaker. Thirty-three years after his legendary pass helped produce one of the most iconic moments in Blue Devils athletics history, No. 33 will address graduates of Duke’s class of 2025 during the university’s May 11 commencement.  

The ceremony, which will begin at 9 a.m., will also serve as the culmination of Duke’s Centennial celebration, and will mark the 100th anniversary of Duke’s first graduating class. 

Hill graduated from Duke in 1994 with a double major in history and political science. He enjoyed a long career in the NBA and has worked in business and broadcasting since retiring from basketball, all while continuing a lifetime of service to Duke. 

His No. 33 jersey is retired in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium, honoring his storied career with the Blue Devils. During Hill’s four seasons, Duke went 118-23 and captured two NCAA national championships.

“I am thrilled that Grant Hill will address the Class of 2025 in May,” said Duke President Vincent E. Price. “He is an extraordinary leader who has excelled in athletics, broadcasting and business. I’m confident that his perspectives and insights will inspire and motivate our graduates as they celebrate their achievements at Duke and embark on the next phase of their lives.”

Hill was a three-time All-American for Duke who won ACC Player of the Year as a senior and National Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. Playing for legendary Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, Hill was a Freshman All-American in 1991 when he helped the Blue Devils win the first men’s basketball national title in school history.  

“I am thrilled that Grant Hill will address the Class of 2025 in May,” said Duke President Vincent E. Price. “He is an extraordinary leader who has excelled in athletics, broadcasting and business. I’m confident that his perspectives and insights will inspire and motivate our graduates as they celebrate their achievements at Duke and embark on the next phase of their lives.”

Duke President Vincent Price

A year later, Duke repeated as champions. Hill’s nearly court-length pass to Christian Laettner assisted Laettner’s game-winning, buzzer-beating basket to defeat Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Tournament regional finals, clinching a berth in the Final Four. 

Selected with the third overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, Hill played 18 seasons professionally and was a seven-time All-Star. In 2018, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Shortly after he entered the NBA, Hill established Hill Ventures, a private company through which he has invested in a diverse portfolio of real estate projects. Since retiring from the NBA, Hill has made the successful transition from professional athlete to franchise co-owner, corporate board member, business and sports leader, and television broadcaster, including as part of the lead announcing team for the NCAA Tournament on CBS and Turner Sports. 

Hill has served on the Duke Board of Trustees since 2021, the same year he was named Managing Director of USA Basketball. His past and present board engagements include the NCAA, NBA Retired Players Association, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Campbell Soup Company, Empire State Realty Trust, and Lake Highland Preparatory School. 

Hill is an avid supporter and collector of African American Art and sponsored a nearly three-year, seven-city tour of his personal art collection. In 2022, he wrote a critically acclaimed memoir, Game: An Autobiography. 

Hill lives in Orlando with his wife, Tamia, a seven-time Grammy-nominated singer, and their two daughters. The family’s Tamia & Grant Hill Foundation supports numerous philanthropic causes, with a primary focus on those working on behalf of children and education.