Athletes - Nate McMillan

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	Athletes - Nate McMillan

Nathaniel "Nate" McMillan (born August 3, 1964 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is a former professional basketball player and current head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to his coaching stint with the Blazers, McMillan was head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics for five years, after succeeding Paul Westphal in 2000. Between 1998 and 2000 he served as an assistant coach for the team. McMillan spent twelve years playing for the Sonics, from 1986 to 1998. He attended Raleigh's Enloe High School , where he went unnoticed by major college scouts. After a brief but great basktball career at Chowan College in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, he returned to Raleigh to play for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State University, before being drafted by the Sonics.

After 19 years with the Seattle organization, McMillan left Seattle on July 7, 2005 to become the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

During his 12 year player career, McMillan put up career averages of 5.9 points, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals. McMillan was known for his superb defense. Known as "Mr. Sonic" for his 19 years of service to the team, his #10 jersey was retired by the Sonics. McMillan is the only NBA player to have his jersey retired without ever being selected to an All-Star team.

Prior to the 2004-2005 season in which the Sonics posted a 52-30 record, the Sonics greatly considered firing McMillan for subpar performance.

McMillan's abrupt departure from Seattle has caused much discomfort among fans of the team; many who view it as an act of betrayal (especially since McMillan is now working for the rival Trail Blazers). Some Sonic fans feel he should be stripped of the "Mr. Sonic" title after supposedly "abandoning" their franchise for the money.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Nate McMillan ]

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