When he began his speech as one of the Manny Jackson Human Spirit Award winners Thursday night in Springfield, Grant Hill mentioned that he was a nearly 40-year-old man still playing against 20-year-olds, trying to chase his dream of an NBA championship.

Hill signed with the Clippers in July, having spent the past five seasons with the Suns, unable to win a title with Steve Nash. He will join Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan with the Clippers, who will challenge Nash and the Lakers for Los Angeles supremacy.

Hill has yet another chance — perhaps his best chance — to win a championship, serving as a mentor and productive bench player.

“As you go through this whole experience, it’s all about reflecting on your career, and you think back at those dark times and whether you’d play again,” he said. “I may not have come back the player I was before because of the injuries but I made it back. I’m still going.

via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe