Athletes - Reggie Miller

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	Athletes - Reggie Miller

Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965 in Riverside, California) is a former US professional basketball player. Miller spent the entirety of his 18-year NBA career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-point field goal shooting, especially in clutch situations. It is believed that only Michael Jordan hit more buzzer beaters than him. He holds the NBA record for career 3-pointers made (2,560). Currently, he works as a NBA commentator for TNT.

Early life

Miller was born with leg deformities which caused an inability to walk correctly; after a few years of continuously wearing braces on both legs, his leg strength grew enough to compensate. One of five siblings, he comes from an athletic family. His brother Darrell is a former major league catcher; his sister Tammy played volleyball at Cal State-Fullerton; and his older sister Cheryl is arguably the best women's basketball player of all time. Cheryl was a member of the 1984 U.S. gold-medal winning Olympic basketball team and is currently an analyst for Turner Sports.

NBA career

Reggie Miller attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he received a degree in history, and was selected by the Pacers with the 11th pick in the 1st round of the 1987 NBA Draft. Miller wore jersey number 31 while playing on the Pacers.

Miller became a household name during the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks. This new celebrity resulted from his phenomenal shooting performance in Game 5 of the series on June 1, 1994, in which he scored 39 points, 25 of which came in the fourth quarter of the Pacers' 93-86 victory at Madison Square Garden. Miller made several long three-pointers during the quarter and engaged in an animated discussion of his ongoing performance with noted Knicks fan Spike Lee, who was seated courtside. The win gave the Pacers a 3-2 series lead over the heavily favored Knicks, but the Pacers lost the next two games and thus the series.

On May 7, 1995, Miller scored eight points in the last 16.4 seconds of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks, leading the Pacers to a stunning 107-105 victory. With the Pacers trailing by six points, Miller made a three-point shot, stole the inbounds pass, retreated to the three-point arc and tied the game with a second three-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Knicks guard John Starks was fouled by Pacer Derrick McKey but missed two free throws; Miller rebounded the second miss and was fouled. Miller made both free throws, and the Pacers' defense denied the Knicks' last chance for the win. The Pacers finally dispatched their New York rivals by winning the series four games to three, but the Pacers went on to lose the Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic, also four games to three.

The Pacers made their next appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals three years later, and that meant it was time for another "Miller Moment", which took place on May 25, 1998. The Pacers trailed the Chicago Bulls two games to one in the series and were behind 94-93 in Game 4 at Market Square Arena with less than three seconds remaining. Miller shoved aside defender Michael Jordan, caught an inbounds pass from McKey, turned and made a game-winning three-point shot. The Pacers eventually pushed the series to a decisive seventh game in Chicago, a game in which the Pacers led early before fading. The Bulls took the series and went on to win their sixth and final championship with Jordan.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers on May 6, 2000, Reggie and teammate Jalen Rose each scored 40 points -- becoming only the fourth pair of teammates in playoff history to accomplish that feat -- in the Pacers' 108-91 victory. The Pacers won that series 4-2 and returned to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth time in seven years. This time they finally crashed through the gates, defeating the rival Knicks four games to two. The deciding Game 6 on June 2, 2000 was sealed by Reggie's 34 points, half of which came in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers thus advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, facing the Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers would wind up winning the series and the championship four games to two, but Miller and Rose put on a shooting clinic in the Pacers' resounding Game 5 win that staved off elimination, scoring 25 and 32 points respectively. Miller averaged 24.3 points per game for the series.

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Athletes - Reggie Miller

Early life

NBA career

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