Most NBA players say that the draft night is their best career memory. Regardless of all their accomplishments, they put the night when they were picked by a team above everything else. It’s a special, once-in-a-lifetime feeling. But for Al Harrington, the draft night wasn’t as great as he was picked by the Pacers.
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During a recent appearance on Out The Mud Podcast, he said that the thought of playing for Indiana alongside Reggie Miller while being a lifelong Knicks fan was a nightmare. He also talked about how he was being overlooked by teams in the initial stage of the 1998 draft.
After the 20th pick, he lost all hope because he didn’t practice for any other teams in the lineup. Dejected by that feeling, he decided to not watch the draft anymore and went outside. That’s when people in the home started making noise and informed him that he was picked by the Pacers. He said, “I’m excited, but also I’m a Knicks fan, so we hate Reggie Miller.”
Despite being the 25th pick in the draft, Harrington wasn’t happy because of the Knick Killer. He said, “I’m just like, I gotta play with Reggie Miller h*e a**?” Harrington wasn’t unreasonable with his take on Miller at all. In fact, most Knick fans would echo similar sentiments when asked about the NBA legend.
What’s interesting is that Miller hates the Knicks just as much as they hate him. On an episode of The Mark Jackson Show, he explained his disdain for the franchise. He said, “This is why I cannot stand the Knicks because to me they’re frontrunners… They think that they’re God’s gift to basketball.” Eventually, Harrington and Miller became friends but for the first few years in Indiana, they weren’t on great terms.
Al Harrington almost took a swing at Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson
When Harrington made an appearance on Mark Jackson’s podcast last year, he recalled the time when he considered fighting with Miller and Jackson. Harrington said that the two veterans used to give him a hard time during practice and on one day, he decided that he had had enough of it.
Harrington said that in his rookie year, he was living with Antonio Davis. When he went home after practice, Davis said something to him and he snapped. Sensing an unusual behavior, Davis called him out for the same. That made Harrington let out his frustration.
He said, “I was like, bro, I don’t think I can take this anymore…Reg and Mark, man…It’s just like every day. Like, I don’t understand why every day. I’m like, I promise you, tomorrow…either one of them say something to me, I’m swinging on them.”
Davis advised him to not take such an extreme step and made him understand that he was only a rookie and he had to earn his respect first. Thankfully, Harrington listened to Davis’ advice.
