Reggie Miller

1965-

American basketball player

In the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), there's never been a three-point shooter like Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller, undoubtedly the most persistent and productive three-point prodigy of all time. Miller was the first NBA player to sink 2,200 three-pointers and also holds the NBA record for most consecutive seasons with at least 100 three-pointers (13 and counting). What Miller is most remembered for, however, is his long list of post-season heroics. By the end of the 2001-2002 season, the five-time NBA All-Star had competed in 109 playoff games, averaging 23.5 points per game. Once, Miller scored twenty-five points in a single playoff quarter; another time, he scored eight points in the final 8.9 seconds of a playoff game for a victory. For all his effort, Miller has yet to win an NBA championship. To this end, Miller spends his free time coaching the team's younger players, hoping to mold the Pacers into a championship franchise.

Perfected Basketball Skills to Beat Sister

Reginald Wayne Miller was born with a hip defect on August 24, 1965, in Riverside, California, to Carrie and Saul Miller. "I came out with my legs and hips all contorted and twisted, like somebody had tried to tie me in a knot," Miller recalled in his book, I Love Being the Enemy. "The doctors said I might not ever walk."

To correct the problem, Miller endured leg braces his first four years and used a wheelchair or crutches to get around. The fourth of five children, Miller spent his days stranded indoors with his mom, yearning to get outside and play with his sports-minded siblings. Throughout the ordeal, his mother, a nurse, offered encouragement.

When the braces came off, Miller made quick use of his legs and began hanging out with his sister Cheryl. Their father, a computer systems analyst and former collegiate basketball star, taught them the game. Miller, however, couldn't compete against his taller, more-practiced sister. Whenever he drove to the basket for a layup, she'd reach up behind him and thwart his shot.

Miller's ambition in life became to beat his sister, and he began taking 500 to 700 shots a day. He stepped onto the family's backyard court and shot relentlessly until he mastered a ten-foot shot. Next, he drilled himself on twelve-footers. In time, Miller stood back in his mother's rose bushes, dropping in twenty-plus footers. Then, his sister's height didn't matter. Instead of dribbling toward the basket, Miller retreated and nailed one of his far-flung jumpers. In this way, Miller developed his signature long-range jump shot, which he later made famous in the NBA.

Miller's favorite sport, however, was baseball, which he played his freshman year at Riverside Polytechnic High School. He wanted to be a star like his older brother, Darrell, who was on his way to becoming a catcher for the California Angels. Miller spent several long, lonely afternoons in the outfield, then decided he should try a more action-packed sport like basketball. The game suited him well, and he led Polytechnic to the state high school championship in both his junior and senior years.

Drafted by Indiana Pacers

In 1983, Miller joined the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) basketball team. His sophomore year, he led the Bruins to the 1985 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship and was named tournament MVP for nailing nearly 60 percent of his shots.

His junior year, Miller averaged 25.9 points per game, fourth-highest in the nation. His senior year, Miller led UCLA to the Pac-10 Conference title. When he graduated in 1987, he was the school's second-leading all-time scorer (2,095 points) behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .

Miller was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 1987 NBA draft. During his first year in the pros, Miller dropped in sixty-one three-pointers, breaking Larry Bird 's rookie record. By 1989-90, his third season, Miller averaged 24.6 points per game, becoming the Pacers' leading scorer. He also made his first All-Star game appearance. In 1992-93, Miller led the NBA in three-pointers (167) and also scored a career-high fifty-seven points in one game.

Known for 'Trash-Talking' on Court

Besides shooting baskets, Miller is known for shooting off his mouth. Miller spends his games chattering at his opponents, hoping to get inside their heads and distract them from the game. Miller's on-court antics, such as making a "choke" sign around his neck when the other team can't perform, regularly make the sports highlights.

Pacers president Donnie Walsh understands that the talking helps Miller, scrawny by NBA standards, compete in the league. As Walsh noted in a Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service article, "You see him on the court and he has to be like that with his body type (6 feet 7 inches and about 180 pounds) or he'd be the biggest target who ever came into the NBA. He can't fight back physically. It's his way of dealing with the situation, psyching himself. If he did not have that attitude, he wouldn't survive."

In his adopted hometown of Indianapolis, Miller's presence is felt outside the basketball arena. He visits local schools to promote reading and started the Reggie Miller Foundation, which raises money for fire victims and for a burn unit at the local children's hospital. Miller became interested in the charity after his house burned down in 1997. Following the 9/11 tragedy, Miller pledged $1,000 for every three-pointer he made, from preseason to postseason, to a New York City fire company that lost eight men in the World Trade Center tragedy. He raised $206,000.

Chronology

Awards and Accomplishments

Will be Remembered as Consistent Shooter

While Miller isn't the most polished player in the NBA, he's certainly one of the toughest and most consistent shooters. During the eleven seasons between 1989-1990 and 1999-2000, Miller averaged between 18.1 points and 24.6 points per game.

Because Miller has consistently put up points throughout his career, he entered the 2002-2003 season tied for 17th place for most career points (22,623) in the NBA. At the start of the season, Miller was sweating it out with players a decade younger, yet he continued to make a difference and electrify fans with his outside shooting. The confident veteran has clearly become one of the game's most well-liked figures—his jersey, after all, sells in the top 10. A player can't get much more popular than that.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o Indiana Pacers, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. Fax: (317) 917-2599. Phone:(317) 917-2500. Email: PacersInsider@Pacers.com. On-line: http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/fan_mail.html.

Career Statistics

SELECTED WRITINGS BY MILLER:

(With Gene Wojciechowski) I Love Being the Enemy: A Season on the Court with the NBA's Best Shooter and Sharpest Tongue, Simon & Schuster, 1995.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Cox, Ted. Reggie Miller: Basketball Sharpshooter: A Season on the Court with the NBA's Best Shooter and Sharpest Tongue, Chicago: Children's Press, 1995.

Miller, Reggie, with Gene Wojciechowski. I Love Being the Enemy: A Season on the Court with the NBA's Best Shooter and Sharpest Tongue. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.

Rappoport, Ken. Guts and Glory: Making it in the NBA. New York: Walker and Company, 1997.

Periodicals

Horrow, Ellen J. "Sports Was Game to Give." USA Today (September 10, 2002).

"Reggie Miller's Place in NBA History." Indianapolis Star (October 27, 2002).

Smith, Sam. "Taking a Fresh Look at Reggie Miller." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (January 21, 2002).

Other

"Reggie Miller." USA Basketball. http://www.usabasketball.com/biosmen/reggie_miller_bio.html (January 3, 2003).

"Reggie Miller Bio." NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/reggie_miller/bio.html (December 20, 2002).

"Reggie Miller Player Info." NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/reggie_miller/ (January 1, 2003).

"Reggie Miller Printable Stats." NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/reggie_miller/printable_player_files.html (December 20, 2002).

Sketch by Lisa Frick