ATLANTA (AP) — Grant Hill made an 18-foot jump shot with 5.6 seconds left and the Phoenix Suns beat the Atlanta Hawks 102-100 in a preseason game Wednesday night.

“I thought it was going to be 120 or something the way it was in the first half,” Suns coach Terry Porter said of the game that Phoenix led 59-58 at halftime. “There wasn’t that much defense to be played in the first half. It was like we had signed a peace treaty with each other.”

Raja Bell scored 18 points and Boris Diaw added 15 points for Phoenix.

Steve Nash scored 11 points before leaving with a sprained right ankle with a little more than two minutes left in the first half. He may be held out of Friday’s game against the Nuggets at Syracuse, N.Y., as a precaution, according to Suns spokeswoman Julie Fie.

Hawks second-year point guard Acie Law hit two free throws with 26.6 seconds left to tie the score at 100. Law, starting his third consecutive game in place of Mike Bibby, had six assists and 12 points.

Following Hill’s go-ahead jump shot, Law’s last-second layup was blocked by Louis Amundson.

“I’m glad Louis blocked that so we could go to the airport,” Hill said.

Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Law “had a great play at the rim, but (Admundson) made a great stop.”

Flip Murray led the Hawks with 23 points, including 15 in the first half. Al Horford, starting at forward, had 15 points and six rebounds. Zaza Pachulia, starting at center, had seven points and 10 rebounds.

“We didn’t defend like we could have,” Horford said. “We gave up a lot of layups, stuff like that. It’s things we need to clean it up before the regular season starts. … Guys were coming in and shooting the ball quickly rather than running offense.”

Suns center Shaquille O’Neal was in street clothes, getting the night off while Porter looked at some smaller lineups.

Rookie Robin Lopez had nine points and nine rebounds starting for O’Neal.

Hill added 13 points and rookie Sean Singletary scored 13 points.

Grant Hill had waited so long to start a season like his first with the Phoenix Suns.

He was happy. Healthy. Playing long minutes and playing every night, contributing to a winning, veteran team on both ends and running the floor like he was turning back a clock.

But that same season ended with an all-too-familiar script — with his team bounced in the first round of the playoffs, and with Hill injured, in pain and unable to contribute.

“I don’t even like talking about it,” Hill said, biting at his lower lip. “I worked my tail off to get ready, I felt the best I had in a long time and then … my old friend came back.”

An emergency appendectomy not only ended a string of 34 straight games played — his longest in eight years — it aggravated a sports hernia injury that required surgery in 2006 and had him contemplating retirement. He tried to play through the pain against San Antonio in the playoffs before shutting it down in Game 3.

Hill went back to Duke University for an MRI on his abdomen, which was negative. After a few weeks of rest, he went to Vancouver to work with Steve Nash’s friend and trainer, Rick Celebrini, strengthening the area through a series of exercises instead of shooting jumpers and playing pickup games.

Hill feels that the work has paid off, and now he just has to get into basketball shape.

“We know the appendectomy and cutting into the stomach wall was certainly a catalyst and threw things off a bit,” Hill said. “It was just a freak thing. But the good thing is we know what it takes to keep things in check now and we can stick with the maintenance program and go from there.”

Hill admits that he was so happy just being able to play last summer that he overdid it before camp.

“By the time training camp came, I had been going for four months and I was already mentally tired,” he said. “I have to be smart. This is a long season, and the things I did in November and December really didn’t matter much in April.

“At the end of the year, I had a long talk with (general manager) Steve Kerr and (senior vice president of operations) David Griffin, and the first thing we agreed was not to get back on the court so fast and be smart.”

That means playing less minutes, and it might mean coming off the bench behind Matt Barnes at small forward to save himself for later in the game.

“We’ve added some really good depth with people like Matt and Goran (Dragic) and Robin (Lopez), and we should all be a fresher bunch as a result,” Hill said. “I’ve started and I’m used to starting, but it doesn’t matter. What makes us the best team? What gives us the best chance?

“I want to be at my best at the end. Whatever it takes to get me there, I’m in favor of.”

Coach Terry Porter said he’s nowhere close to making any decisions with training camp still a week away.

“Grant wants to play, and it’s important he has quality minutes every night. But not to the point where we overwork him,” Porter said. “We have to look at the big picture, and he understands that. Whether he starts or doesn’t start … when do you want to use those minutes?

We’ll be experimenting with a lot of that.”

BONUS SHOTS: Porter said everyone on the squad is healthy. The Suns have 14 players ready for camp after former Iowa State center Jiri Hubalek signed a guaranteed contract in Europe. Griffin said the Suns could add another big man to replace Hubalek, who like invitees Robert Hite and Trey Johnson, wouldn’t have been expected to make the team.

Sept. 3, 2008 WASHINGTON − This fall, as children across the country head back to school and hit the sports’ fields, there may be one unexpected opponent on their schedule – MRSA.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a potentially life-threatening antibiotic resistant Staph infection that is becoming increasingly common in places like locker rooms, gyms and schools and it affects more than 90,000 Americans every year.

That is why seven-time NBA all-star, Grant Hill, teamed up with others who have experienced MRSA first-hand and MRSA experts, to launch STOP MRSA Now, a coalition dedicated to coaching others on practical steps to help defeat this unexpected opponent.

“When I was diagnosed with an MRSA infection, it was hard to get information about the illness or even how to help prevent the spread of it,” said Grant Hill, STOP MRSA Now member. “This infection is becoming an issue in community settings across the country and that is why, as an athlete and a father, I am joining STOP MRSA Now to offer a playbook on prevention so that everyone can get in the game to help reduce the spread of MRSA.”

The STOP MRSA Now Playbook

Although there is still much research to be done about MRSA, STOP MRSA Now members are urging others to help reduce the spread of MRSA with the following five-point plan, from the STOP MRSA Now playbook:

1. Scrub up – Wash hands for at least 15 seconds (enough time to sing “Happy Birthday” twice), or use an alcohol-based hand rub sanitizer
2. Wipe it down – Use a bleach solution to disinfect surfaces (1 tablespoon of disinfecting bleach diluted in 1 quart of water)
3. Cover your cuts – Keep any nicks or wounds covered until healed
4. Keep to yourself – Do not share personal items
5. Use a barrier – Keep a towel or clothing between skin and shared equipment
The STOP MRSA Now playbook, developed by a panel of MRSA experts, is available at the coalition Web site, www.stopmrsanow.org, and also provides:

• Easy-to-understand information about MRSA, what it is and how it spreads
• Setting specific prevention information for public places including athletic facilities, childcare centers and schools
• How-to information for disinfecting surfaces, proper hand washing techniques and more

Home Court is Where the Heart Is

In addition to the playbook and information about MRSA, the online home of STOP MRSA Now provides information about the heart of the coalition – the members. Coalition members’ experiences with MRSA are featured on the Web site to help community members understand the increasing threat posed by MRSA and the need for education.

“People can carry MRSA without any symptoms and can transmit MRSA to others, especially in community settings,” said Everly Macario, STOP MRSA Now member, whose healthy 1 1/2 year-old son, Simon Sparrow, died suddenly in 2004 from MRSA. “That is why we owe it to our children, families, and communities to learn more about MRSA and how to reduce the spread of it.”

About STOP MRSA NOW

STOP MRSA Now is a coalition of community members who have experienced first-hand the threat of MRSA and MRSA experts who are committed to working together to reduce the spread of MRSA in community settings and to educate community members on MRSA prevention.

STOP MRSA Now coalition members are taking an active role in helping prevent the spread of MRSA by providing educational materials to their communities, distributing a national public service announcement and offering an opportunity for community members to have questions about MRSA answered online at www.stopmrsanow.org

For more information about STOP MRSA Now, visit www.stopmrsanow.org.

About MRSA

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a potentially life-threatening antibiotic resistant Staph infection. Staph is found on the skin and in the nose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005, nearly 19,000 Americans died from MRSA infections. During the same year, there were 134 cases of MRSA in children.

About The Clorox Company

The Clorox Company is committed to helping prevent the spread of MRSA. As part of this commitment, Clorox is honored to support the STOP MRSA Now coalition to educate community members about the importance of understanding more about MRSA and how they can help prevent the spread of MRSA in their community.

Founded in 1980, The Clorox Company Foundation has awarded cash grants totaling more than $73.9 million to nonprofit organizations, schools and colleges. In fiscal 2008 alone, the foundation awarded $4.2 million in cash grants, and Clorox made product donations valued at $10.2 million. For more information about Clorox, visit www.TheCloroxCompany.com.

Sooner or later we all hits the skids. It happens to everyone. At some point we all wind up with our backs against the wall and need to make a comeback. So how do we do it? Tonight, we’ve brought together athletes, business leaders, psychologists, even a former housewife to give you the blueprint… for a brilliant comeback.

Catch Grant tonight at 10p/ 1a EST. on CNBC’s The Big Idea, hosted by Donny Deutsch.

NEW YORK, April 25, 2008 – Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, the NBA announced today.

Hill, a 12-year veteran and the recipient of the 2004-05 Sportsmanship Award, was one of six divisional winners which included Detroit’s Antonio McDyess, Houston’s Shane Battier, Portland’s Brandon Roy, Toronto’s Chris Bosh and Washington’s Antawn Jamison. This marks the first time that a player has received the award more than once.

The NBA will donate $25,000 on behalf of Grant Hill to HopeKids, a non-profit organization based out of Phoenix which provides ongoing events and activities along with a support community for children with cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions to send the message that hope can be a powerful medicine.

The NBA will donate $10,000 each to the divisional winners’ charities of choice: America Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts on behalf of McDyess; The Giving Fund on behalf of Battier; the Lenny Wilkens Foundation, which believes that every child deserves access to quality healthcare and the opportunity to receive a competitive education, on Roy’s behalf; The Toronto Raptors Foundation on behalf of Bosh; and Washington Sports and Entertainment Charities, Inc. to benefit local initiatives in the Washington, D.C. area on Jamison’s behalf. Read the rest of this entry »

On a night where the Suns racked up a “W” in their regular-season finale, earning a trip to San Antonio to battle the Spurs this Saturday in Game 1 of the Opening Round of the NBA Playoffs, a very different kind of victory preceded the 100-91 win over the Trail Blazers.

During pre-game festivities, Suns Ring of Honor great Dan Majerle presented the 2007-08 Majerle Hustle Award to guard Grant Hill, who now joins the ranks of teammates and recent winners Leandro Barbosa and Raja Bell.

“It means a lot,” Hill told Suns.com about receiving the award. “Dan is somebody I’ve always respected as a player and as a professional. I never really looked at myself as a hustle player, but I appreciate the acknowledgment.”

Created by Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo, the award is presented to the Suns player who most personifies the qualities of “Thunder Dan,” who, as Colangelo said at No. 9’s Ring of Honor ceremony in 2003, “gave maximum effort in every game, every practice… in everything he did.”

The winner of the award was selected based on the results of five voting categories: Suns fans, Suns players, Suns coaches, Suns employees and by Majerle himself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Detroit’s Antonio McDyess, Houston’s Shane Battier, Phoenix’s Grant Hill, Portland’s Brandon Roy, Toronto’s Chris Bosh and Washington’s Antawn Jamison have been selected by a five-member panel of former players as divisional winners for the 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award.

The NBA Sportsmanship Award, designed to honor a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, is voted on by NBA players. The winner will be announced after the regular season.

The 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner will be presented with the Joe Dumars Trophy, named after the Hall of Famer and former Detroit Pistons great who played 14 seasons in the NBA and was the recipient of the inaugural NBA Sportsmanship Award in 1996. The six-time All-Star was selected in honor of his distinguished and dignified career and for symbolizing the tradition the NBA wants to recognize with this award.

Former NBA players Mike Bantom, former Sun Eddie Johnson, Tom “Satch” Sanders, Kenny Smith and Steve Smith, the 2000-2001 Sportsmanship Award recipient, selected the six divisional winners from a pool of 30 team nominees. Each team nominated one of its own players for this award.

The annual award reflects the ideals of sportsmanship — ethical behavior, fair play and integrity — in amateur and professional basketball, a key focus of the league’s Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA grassroots youth basketball program.

Following is a list of the all-time winners of the NBA Sportsmanship award:

ALL-TIME NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNERS

Inaugural: Joe Dumars (1996) 1996-1997: Terrell Brandon, Cleveland
1997-1998: Avery Johnson, San Antonio
1998-1999: Hersey Hawkins, Seattle
1999-2000: Eric Snow, Philadelphia
2000-2001: David Robinson, San Antonio
2001-2002: Steve Smith, San Antonio
2002-2003: Ray Allen, Seattle
2003-2004: P.J. Brown, New Orleans
2004-2005: Grant Hill, Orlando
2005-2006: Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers
2006-2007: Luol Deng, Chicago