It’s the first weekend of the 2024 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and everything basketball is in full effect. The courtside seats are lined with NBA stars from four time NBA Champion Draymond Green to five time All-Star and former No. 1 overall pick John Wall. Sitting amongst the many household names on the sideline is Malcolm Hill. The former Illini and two time Second Team All-Big Ten selection is on a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans (and their G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron) heading into the 2024-25 season, as he continues to grind and prove that he is a rotational NBA player.

“As far as an individual goal, just becoming the perfect glue-guy,” Hill said regarding his focus for next season. “Becoming someone that can be effective no matter who I’m on the court with. Becoming the best three-point shooter I can possibly become. Keep getting better in that area and then just becoming a better athlete, taking care of my body, doing body work so I can just become a better defender. Be in the best shape. I wasn’t known as an athlete coming out of college, so I feel like personally you can control that, which I feel like I’m doing.”

The 28-year-old Hill is not playing at Summer League this year, opting instead to support the Pelicans young players and his teammates from the sideline.

“I’ve done it (Summer League) for five years, you know what I mean,” he said. “So I felt like for me this year, it was more to support the guys. A lot of those guys that I just saw were a lot of my Birmingham teammates from the past season. That’s really the main thing for me this year, was to come out and support.”

Despite being on an NBA contract now, Hill’s journey since he left Illinois in 2017 has been full of ups and downs, with multiple stops around the country and the world. Hill spent four years overseas from 2017-21, with stops in the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Germany and Israel. While his years overseas were a grind for him, both on and off the court, he indicated that they were a necessary step in his development, not only as a basketball player, but as a person.

“It was a pretty cool experience, just being able to help grow as a person,” Hill said. “That’s one thing I took a lot out from being overseas for multiple months, living in a different culture, and then just having to grow as a person. When I came back from overseas and started my NBA journey, the things that I learned and how I developed myself as a person over there helped build me into how and who I am today.”

Hill is grateful for the experiences he had outside of the country, as it provided plenty of eye-opening moments that fans in the United States would never expect to happen to a professional basketball player.

“There was a time where I had like a designated driver in Kazakhstan, and he got pulled over, arrested on the side of the road,” he said. “They didn’t really speak English over there. That was a funny story.”

To start the 2021-22 season, Malcolm Hill returned to the states to play for the Birmingham Squadron in the NBA G League, a completely different style of basketball and an important career shift for the former Illini.

“It was an adjustment having to come back and play, you know, NBA basketball,” Hill said. “More athletic guys; faster. It was an up and down experience because I had goals and aspirations of getting to the NBA, and I had an exhibit 10. I didn’t really have significant interest, and I was 25 when I started my NBA journey. So it was tough, but it was worthwhile. I see myself as an embodiment of perseverance. I’m grateful that I bet on myself.”

It was with Birmingham that Hill would get his first shot at the NBA, when the Atlanta Hawks called him up to the big leagues on a 10 day contract, two months into the season. Hill made his NBA debut on December 27, 2021, scoring his first NBA points at the free throw line.

“The best way to describe it is like playing 2K with MyPlayer,” he said. “You checking in for the first time, it’s almost like surreal.”

After his 10 day deal with Atlanta expired, Hill returned to the G League but almost immediately received another NBA opportunity, this time with the Chicago Bulls, much to the delight of Illinois fans. The Bulls signed Hill to a 10 day contract before signing him to a two-way contract, allowing him to split time between Chicago and their G League affiliate: the Windy City Bulls, who play in the suburb of Hoffman Estates. Hill played in 21 games for Chicago and 31 games for Windy City during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

“Being an Illinois product, being able to play for the Chicago Bulls, not too many people have that opportunity,” Hill said. “My first experience in the NBA being in the city where I have all the support in the world. Family, friends, alumni. It’s an opportunity that I couldn’t be more grateful for. Kind of like helped me get my foot in the door in the NBA.”

After about a year of being on a two-way deal with the Bulls, Hill was eventually released. He rejoined the Squadron, who held his G League rights, in February of 2023. He stayed with the team into the 2023-24 season and was beyond impressive on the court, dropping a franchise record 44 points in January 2024.  That stellar play ultimately earned him another call up, this time from the New Orleans Pelicans, Birmingham’s parent team. The Pelicans signed Hill to a two-way contract this February, which he is still on heading into the upcoming season. Despite not making his Pelicans debut yet, this past season for Hill was the strongest of his career, and he looks ready to get more NBA minutes next year. In the G League, the 6-foot-6 wing averaged a career best 21.9 points per game and shot a blistering 41.7% from three-point range.

After multiple experiences going back and forth between the G League and the NBA, and playing different roles at each level, Hill described life as a two-way player as a challenge, but a blessing.

“You kind of have to be ready on call for whatever,” he said. “Especially as a two-way, you gotta be the hardest worker. You got to be the most dedicated person on the team. They’re investing in you to get better. That’s how I took it. I feel like it’s the best thing ever because they give you all the resources in the world to become better. You know it’s just up to you to put in that work.”

Now, seven years removed from his final game at Illinois, Hill is busy with the day-to-day lifestyle of a professional basketball player continuing to prove himself. He is on two different teams at a time and moving back and forth between the NBA and G League at a moment’s notice, but he still makes time to keep up with his alma mater.

“I support from a distance. I watch all the games, my mom and dad watch all the games,” Hill said. “It’s been incredible because when I left, that’s when (Brad) Underwood came in. To see the change that he’s done within the program and to see how Illinois is being talked about around the country, you know it’s been incredible to see and be part of just as a fan, an Illinois alum.”

Hill, who debuted for the Illini in 2013, has grown and learned a lot over the last 10 plus years, but the message he would give to himself as a freshman is very simple.

“Relax,” Hill said with a smile. “You gonna be alright.”

While an 18 year old Hill may have been nervous about what was in front of him, it’s obvious now that on the basketball court, he had nothing to worry about. Two Second Team All-Big Ten nods in college, being able to travel the world as a professional, including playing for three NBA organizations and most recently, 2024 All-NBA G League Second Team honors. Yeah, Malcolm Hill has definitely been alright, and he’s still got a lot more to go. 

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