This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with Basketball Hall of Famer and television analyst Grant Hill.

In his interview with Easton Jr., Hill discusses his participation in this year's American Century Championship, which will take place July 10-12 at Edgewood Tahoe and air on NBC and Peacock. He discussed his experience as a part-owner of professional soccer teams, including MLS's Orlando City SC and the NWSL's Orlando Pride.

"I've heard so much about the American Century Championship for so many years. I just started playing golf, not making any excuses, but I started playing in 2020, right around COVID, so I don't think I thought I would play this soon in it," said Hill, "But it was incredible, I think the amount of people that were there, the energy, the fun, and then the other players. Everyone was there to compete but also there to enjoy the entire experience."

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes serves as a co-owner of the NWSL's KC Current, and many other high-profile athletes have invested in soccer, including Hill. He dove into his passion for soccer, dating back to his childhood and through his family.

"Well, it's been great, and I've enjoyed supporting and continuing to learn the game of soccer, and, really, for me, I played soccer growing up. I grew up in northern Virginia," said Hill, "I realized I had a better chance of being Dr. J (Julius Erving) than Pele, and so at about 12, I switched. But I was reintroduced to soccer through my daughter, who is actually going to play soccer at Florida next year as a freshman. When she was young, we would take her to soccer games in Orlando. In the process, my wife and I fell in love with soccer."

Arrowhead Stadium will host World Cup matches and has a history of hosting soccer, including the Kansas City Wizards from 1996 until 2007. Still, the World Cup is in a class of its own, offering the city a chance to showcase its passion to the world. Hill shares the same enthusiasm, looking forward to the international event.

"The opportunity to invest in MLS and NWSL, we are soccer junkies, and we're actually going through soccer withdrawal right now because we're waiting for the World Cup, and hopefully that will be a great experience. We'll go to a couple of matches," said Hill. "We absolutely love it. We're passionate about it. And we're looking forward to, like I said, the World Cup is coming. The impact that it will have, not just at the grassroots level, but also from a fan interest here in the States, the momentum just continues to move forward, and it's exciting, and it's fun to be a part of."

The annual tournament awards $750,000 in prize money, much of which the celebrity players donate to local and national charities. Over the years, over $8 million has been donated to non-profit causes. Network television exposure on NBC/Peacock and a first-place prize of $150,000 make the celebrity tournament one of the most prestigious in golf.