Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Sports
Sports

Grant Hill Donates $1.25M to Duke For Athletic Improvements, Arts

Posted byBy Curtis Bunn | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

GrantHill3Grant Hill, one of the all-time class acts in sports, displayed his charitable nature by making a $1.25 million donation Wednesday that will help his alma mater, Duke, improve its athletic facilities and support the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.

The former Blue Devil star and NBA All-Star, with his wife, Tamia, designated $250,000 to support the Annual Fund for the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, with the rest used to upgrade Duke’s athletic facilities.

The university said in a release that it has raised $185 million to enhance Duke’s athletic programs. The goal is to raise $250 million.

“Tamia and I are in a fortunate position to be able [to] give back to the university that did so much for me,” said Hill, through the school’s release. “In the 20 years since my graduation, I am certain that the academic environment, the coaches and staff, and every facet of being a student at Duke contributed to make me a better person.”

Hill helped the Blue Devils win back-to-back national titles in 1991 and 1992 before he was selected with the third overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft.

“This generous gift from Grant and Tamia will enhance the college experience of many future Duke students across several disciplines, including athletics,” athletic director Kevin White said in the release. “The fact that it comes from someone who is synonymous with the excellence that defines this great institution makes it even more special.”

This is the second time that Hill and his singer wife Tamia have made a seven-figure contribution. They established a scholarship fund for Duke men’s basketball with a $1 million donation in 2000.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top