Grant Hill and Wife Tamia Stopped at 7-11 for Slurpees and Chili Cheese Dogs After Their 1999 Wedding

Favorite Wedding Memory rollout
Favorite Wedding Memory rollout

Courtesy

When Grant and Tamia Hill said 'I do' back in 1999, the former NBA player and his bride were so busy celebrating their nuptials, they had no time for hors d'oeuvres, dinner or even dessert!

"We have so many meaningful memories from our wedding day that stand out," the couple tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"But what we both still laugh about is that we didn't get a chance to eat any of the food from the reception. After we made our way around to thank everyone for attending during the dinner, we never made it back to our seats. By then, we were called to the dance floor for our first dance."

Grant, 50, and the six-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter, 47, were first introduced by Anita Baker at the Soul Train Music Awards in 1996. They exchanged vows three years later on July 24, 1999 in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Grant and Tamia Hill
Grant and Tamia Hill

Paras Griffin/Getty Grant and Tamia Hill

"I don't think we realized we hadn't eaten until we got in the limo after the reception to drive two hours from Battle Creek to Detroit because we had an early flight out the next morning for our honeymoon," says the couple.

"That's when we stopped at a 7-Eleven on the way for chili cheese dogs and Slurpees!"

The pair are parents to two daughters, Myla Grace, 20, and Lael Rose, 15.

Grant Hill
Grant Hill

Tamia Hill Instagram

"We've been married, it will be 23 years in July," the NBA Hall of Famer said during an appearance on the Tamron Hall show last year. In June the pro athlete released his memoir Game: An Autobiography

"We've been together 26 years total," Grant told Hall. "Watching her when she was diagnosed [Tamia was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2003] and how she attacked that and had tremendous strength, when you go through your own stuff that's one thing," Grant, who contracted a potentially fatal infection, MRSA, in his ankle that same year and required six months of recovery, continued.

"But when you see a loved one, a family member, a wife, struggle that's tough. She inspired me. Not only is she overcoming it, but she fought. She resumed her career, she's an incredible mother, you know she's active, it's like you forget that she has this. To see her strength through it all has been inspiring."