Standouts On and Off the Court

With the first two weeks of games canceled and the 2011-12 NBA season starting to slip away, the league and its players union continue to negotiate terms of a new contract. But with the U.S. economy struggling and basketball fans trying to manage household budgets and stretch their own dollars, public sympathy seems to be with neither side as the owners and players discuss ways to divide a multibillion-dollar pie.

Pro basketball Hall of Famer and NBA analyst Charles Barkley once proclaimed that athletes should not be considered role models. By their actions, two current NBA stars and former Duke All-Americas, Grant Hill and Elton Brand, disagree.

With a combined 28 years in the NBA, Hill and Brand have carried themselves in exemplary fashion off the court. They have established foundations in their names and donated their time and financial support to numerous national and community philanthropic programs, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Special Olympics, Covenant House, the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and various other initiatives to serve disadvantaged youth and families, education, literacy, and recreation.

“One of the things we’ve always done in this country, and really all over the world, is look at our athletes as heroes,” said Grant Hill. “And with that comes a certain responsibility. Some athletes embrace it and some don’t.

“But I feel that what we do is a privilege, not a birthright. Sometimes maybe we lose sight of that and forget the effect we have on people, not just with our performance but how we conduct ourselves off the field or the court. It’s not a burden. There are only a handful who are fortunate enough to be looked at in this way.”

Elton Brand called it a “blessing” to be considered a role model. “Athletes—and celebrities in general— are held to a higher precedent,” he said. “That’s just the way it is. And I think we should be. We’re more visible, and the kids look up to you. The average person is not seen in that same light. They can do a lot of malicious things, and no one cares.”