Before Grant Hill ever dazzled in the NBA, before the highlight reels and All-Star nods, there was a quiet elevator ride in 1992 that shook him to the core. The man responsible? Larry Bird. Not with a dunk. Not with a shot. But with one line that hit harder than any crossover. In that moment, Hill wasn’t just a Duke phenom or a rising college star — he was a student witnessing a masterclass in greatness. And it all started with Bird walking into that elevator, fresh from the gym, while everyone else was still rinsing off beach sand. That’s when the legend dropped the line: “You guys are out having a good time… I’m in the gym working.” It wasn’t just trash talk. It was a wake-up call — and it changed everything.
“You guys are out having a good time, I’m in the gym working” – Grant Hill said the encounter with Larry Bird in 1992 taught him how to be a pro
“You guys are out having a good time, I’m in the gym working” – Grant Hill said the encounter with Larry Bird in 1992 taught him how to be a pro originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Before Grant Hill stepped foot in the NBA, he had the opportunity to rub elbows with not just ordinary professional ballers, but the supreme legends of the sport.
In the summer of 1992, the Duke standout, along with college stars Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston, Jamal Mashburn and others, were selected to play a scrimmage against the original Dream Team.
Meeting Larry Legend
Hanging out with the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler and other legends taught Hill a lot about the sport, from a technical, tactical and physical standpoint. Among all his encounters with the 1992 Dream Team, his random meeting with Boston Celtics Larry Bird was the most unforgettable. In just a few words, Bird taught them what it took to be a legend in basketball.
“The thing that I saw was just the competitiveness and the work ethic. I remember, we had practice one day and then we all went to the beach — we did something as players — and we got back and we were getting on the elevator, and Larry Bird gets on the elevator,” Hill recalled, per ESPN.
“He’s the oldest guy on the team. But he just came from the gym. He was shooting. And he was talking trash. He was like, ‘You guys are out having a good time, I’m in the gym working.’ And the next day he came and put on a clinic. He just was on fire,” Grant stated.
Hill and the others understood the assignment. Bird was at the tail end of his career then. He had back problems and all sorts of injuries. But this did not stop him from putting in the work.
It didn’t matter if he was expected to play limited minutes.
Larry Legend stayed ready by warming up his hand every chance he got.
Beating the Dream Team
Hill said their encounter with Bird boosted their confidence. It was what powered them to defeat the Dream Team in that infamous scrimmage that sent the nation into a frenzy. Americans expected the Dream Team to annihilate every foe placed in front of them.
And so they were nothing but disappointed when word got out that a bunch of college kids destroyed them.
However, it was revealed later that Jordan, easily the best scorer in the squad, did not play as much in the Dream Team vs Select Team scrimmage.
Chuck Daly made a tactical choice to humble his team.
Meanwhile, the Select Team’s stock plummeted, and many claimed their victory wasn’t worth celebrating.
Y’all the best players in the world, what Jordan got to do with this? First of all, even with Jordan and if Jordan didn’t play, it’s still a story,” Chris added.
Indeed, the Select Team should be properly acknowledged for defeating the 1992 Dream Team. But that alone should not define them as players. Hill, Webber and the other players part of that young squad established their own names later on when they stepped foot in the NBA.
