George Hill Looks Forward to Facing Hometown Pacers With Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers will begin the final week of their regular season on Tuesday night. The beginning of their ending will start against the Indiana Pacers on the road. Sixers veteran guard George Hill, who was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, once again looks forward to facing his hometown team.

“Indiana is always home to me,” Hill said on Monday following a practice session. “It holds a special place in my heart. It was always a dream to be a Pacer, and I got to fulfill that dream, but my family and friends are still there, so it’s always a great place to go back to. It’s always a place that I consider my home, so even though I’m not there playing, I still have deep roots there and good relationships there.”

After playing High School ball in Indiana, Hill stayed in the State to play for Indiana University-Purdue University, despite having offers from other notable schools. While Hill dreamt of playing for the Pacers in the NBA, he would be selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 26th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Hill spent his first three seasons in San Antonio. Then, during the 2011 NBA Draft, the Spurs made Hill's dream come true. For the pick that became Kawhi Leonard, Davis Bertans, and the veteran Erazem Lorbek, the Spurs sent Hill packing to return home to play for the Indiana Pacers, where he would play the next five seasons.

Following a successful stint with the Pacers, Hill moved on as the team sent him to the Utah Jazz during the 2016 offseason. Since then, Hill has been on the move as he's joined five different franchises. At this point, the 35-year-old guard is with his sixth different team since departing with the Pacers.

Now, Hill looks forward to facing his hometown team once more before he embarks on yet, another playoff run where he hopes to help lead the first-place Sixers to its first NBA Finals appearance since the 2001 NBA season.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.