“Reggie Miller and Cheryl Miller used to hustle pickup games for $10 to afford Happy Meals!”: How NBA’s decorated shooter and WNBA legend used to scam kids out of their lunch money for McDonald’s

Reggie Miller and his sister Cheryl Miller used to hustle kids during their childhood to get $10 for McDonald’s Happy Meals

The Miller family, with their two Hall of Fame basketball players, will be etched in basketball lore for their contribution to the sport.

The elder sibling, Cheryl was the first person ever to have their jersey retired by USC. She was also an Olympic gold medallist with the United States in 1984.

The younger one, Reggie is considered the greatest player in Indiana Pacers’ history. Reggie is also a member of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team and a respected analyst with TNT. He’s commonly regarded as one of the greatest 3-point snipers in league history.

Also read: “Reggie Miller probably would’ve made another 1,500 3-pointers”: Al Harrington believes the Pacers legend could’ve ended up with way more 3-pointers if he shot as frequent as Stephen Curry does

With so much professional success, it is a given that the Millers earned plenty as pros. Their financial status wasn’t always as grand though. Their condition was such that an occasional Happy Meal from McDonald’s was considered a luxury.

How did Reggie Miller and Cheryl Miller earn extra money to afford Happy Meals?

With their financial position putting them in a position to not munch on their favorite meal as frequently as they would like, the Millers took to using their basketball skills to pinch an extra meal.

Cheryl would pretend to not know the game. She would then team with her brother, Reggie, and challenge duos they find in the Parks in California to two-on-two basketball games.

The Millers would bet tenners on these games. They would naturally take big leads and then tease opponents into doubling down. And then, they would steal their lunch money just like that.

In games of first-to-ten, the Millers were probably the legends of John Adams Elementary or Hunt Park where they played at. Miller revealed this part of his life in-depth in his book, I Love Being the Enemy.

Miller describes the events to take place when he was in the fifth and sixth grades. The duo really worked their way up from a young age with basketball.

Knowing their basketball skills, the Millers probably earned more Happy Meals than they’d have imagined when they started this hustle. If the Happy Meal-driven games honed their skills, the basketball world definitely owes one to the fast-food giants.

Also Read: “Reggie Miller would get beat down by his sister”: How the Indiana Pacers legend became one of the best trash-talkers of the game because of his sister