Breathe a sigh of relief guys who missed Grant Hill on Oprah yesterday. I know, the one day you don't watch religiously… Anyway, I watched as Oprah prodded the Hills to talk about their love (sans tears!) on her "greatest love stories" episode.  Here is the interview:

Oprah: "Were there times when- you hurt your ankle, you're a basketball player-oh my goodness, did you think it was over?"

Grant Hill: "Yes I had a number of surgeries, I was out many years. Then I was hit with a staph infection and that was pretty scary. I was as close as I have ever been to checking out. I mean really checking out-out."

O: "What got you through it?"

GH: "My wife. My wife really got me through it. Around that same time we found out what she was going through, and really just seeing her strength and her fight. Seeing how she was able to persevere and continue to be a great wife, a great mother, a great person. It really just kind of inspired me."

O: "Would you say your love thickened during that time?"

Tamia Hill: "Oh… there were times…. I mean during the last surgery Grant had a bell. So there were times that I thought, "I am going to hurt him." He would ring the bell, all the time. And he drinks lots of water at night and he had aluminum crutches, so every time he got up at night time it was clank clank clank. Those are the times I had to dig deep. Um, but yeah it brought us closer- seeing him in that state. And there is something that is in you that when you see someone you love, you fight immediately. So even before myself, and when I was diagnosed (with multiple Sclerosis), when I saw him, I immediately wanted to fight for him."

O: "What does it mean when you are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis? That you have to change your diet, behaviors?"

TH: "I did all of those things. First you have to figure out what that is, what that means for you. There were a couple of people like Richard Prior that popped into my head when they told me. So we had to research and get credible research. So grant was like, ok you have MS, and I think I cried for about 10 minutes. Then he was like, 'ok what do we need to do in order to get this thing going'. So he gave me my moment and then he moved on."

O: "I liked when you (Tamia) said you love the little things, and I like when you said (Grant) that you are running out of big things to give her. But isn't it the little things?"

TH: "It is, it is the little everyday things. It's the watching him interact with our kids and I come home, and I want to take a bath, and he goes and grabs the kids. It's those things that are wonderful. The big things are good too!! I am not hating on the big things- but it is those little things that matter."

O: "When you get home late from the games, do you always get up early and take Myla to school?"

GH: "Yep, I do. That's our time, no matter what time I get in or how tired I am. I want to be with her in the morning, eat breakfast with her and take her to school. That's daughter and father time. Sometimes we are a little late getting to school! But the teacher understands."
TH: "And I have to get up to do the hair. Grant hasn't quite mastered that yet."

GH: "Yeah, when mom goes out of town, I just put a hat on."

O: "I think that is such a great image for basketball players, because as you know, basketball players don't have the reputation of driving their kids to school. They have the reputation of being out of town and coming out of the gates and there are women standing with their panties on their head. How do you manage through all of the women with panties on their head?"

TH: "We have lots of friends actually that have quite great relationships. So, they don't have that stereotypical basketball thing."

GH: "Unfortunately with athletes we all get painted with the same brush, so you hear so much about the bad stories. And there are bad stories out there but you don't hear about the good ones. You look in society and you look at the divorce rate and it is alarming. I look at my grandparents, back in that day when you got married you stay married. So nowadays I think some of the values are a littlegone. But it is difficult, marriage is hard and you've got to work at it."

O: "Do you guys have date nights?"

GH: "Yeah, we just went and saw American Gangster."

TH: "It wasn't at night, it was at like 3!"

O: "It was a pleasure to have you both here. Thank you for flying all night and now you've got to fly back."