Reggie Miller was one of the fiercest competitors to ever step on an NBA court but the Indiana Pacers legend didn’t shy away from being a villain. That said, Miller treated the game with utmost respect, especially in his approach to preparation.
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Throughout his 18-year NBA career, Miller was one of the most dependable players in the league. He tallied 11 seasons playing at least 80 games. That mark puts him 14th all-time in games played.
Dan Patrick was well aware of Miller’s reputation, so he sought to unravel more during the former NBA player’s recent guest appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. He proceeded to ask Miller if he was ever late to a game.
“Never,” Miller emphasized. “I think I was late, maybe out of my whole 18-year career, to a practice once, and it was because of a snowstorm.”
Miller’s punctuality is quite an impressive feat considering how long he spent in the NBA. That is certainly not the case with every NBA player, with some being notorious for their tardiness. The most infamous is of course, Allen Iverson.
Patrick made the correlation in real time to Iverson following Miller’s comments. He quickly followed up by saying, “So, you weren’t like Iverson?”
It was hard for Miller to contain his smile as he doubled down by stating, “Never.” Iverson wasn’t late to games, but the former Philadelphia Sixers star was late to practice extremely often, while even missing a few sessions entirely. The scrutiny of his actions led to an iconic outburst in 2002, which featured Iverson questioning the significance of practice.
“We’re sitting here, I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re in here talking about practice,” Iverson said to the media. “Not a game. We’re talking about practice.”
Iverson’s tirade has become one of the biggest press conference moments by an athlete in any sport and has even become part of pop culture through BBC’s Ted Lasso. Although Iverson’s practice woes would continue to follow him his entire career, he continuously showed up when it mattered most.
Miller, on the other hand, didn’t give the Pacers any room to worry about where his head was at. He diligently showed up early every single day. A big reason was his strict upbringing.
“Military, hello!” Miller proclaimed while reminding Dan.
Miller’s father, Saul, served as a chief master sergeant in the Air Force for 25 years. As a result, those traits he learned while serving transferred into his parenting style. It seemed to work wonders as Miller would’ve never become the player he did without it.
