Reggie Miller is undoubtedly one of the greatest basketball players ever. In an interview, in 2021, Reggie Miller revealed that he once had an opportunity to join the Boston Celtics squad. After being honored as one of the 75 greatest players of all time, Reggie sat down with Bob Kravitz for an interview, revealing to the Athletic, his loyalty to his hometown and his reason for never playing with the Celtics.
Advertisement
During the 2021-22 season, the NBA would host its 75th anniversary. Naturally, as many expected, the Indiana legend would make the list. During the interview, after the event, Kravitz posed an interesting question to Miller,
“I remember in 2007, I reached out to you about the rumors of you joining the Celtics, and you called me back and gave me the scoop, which I appreciated. Why didn’t you chase the ring, especially with a team that would go on to win the title?”
Rumors of Reggie Miller’s return were a real thing back in 2008. The Celtics were looking to make one final run with their new big three, and apparently, Reggie Miller was invited to the party. However, Miller would decline the generous offer. Giving his reason for the same, Reggie said,
“Look I knew they were stacked to win a championship, and they did, but it just wouldn’t have seemed right to be popping champagne in Boston when we (Indiana) grew up together, we laughed together, we cried so many tears together because we were so close for so many years.
The Miller household not only produced Reggie Miller but also his sister Sheryl Miller. Sheryl, who is considered by many as the greatest female basketball player of all time, surely had a hand in Miller’s game. Describing his attachment to Indiana, he added, How could I be sitting and cheering and laughing because I won my championship and all I ever wanted to do was win in Indiana?”
Not only his sister, but his other older brothers also posed healthy competition for a young Miller. The UCLA legend was also partly trained by his father, who served as a Chief Master Sergeant for 25 years in the Air Force, to whom Miller attributes his toughness and sense of loyalty.
During the interview, Miller raised a pertinent point about small market teams. Talking about the same, Miller said, “People don’t understand — and we’ve seen this when LeBron came back to Cleveland, and now Milwaukee — when small markets win like that, and Indiana is in that category, it’s like winning three or four, it is. We’re not the Lakers, Boston, Chicago. When you win in a small market, those fans live and die with you.”
This observation from Miller does seem to hold some weight. In general, small market teams have a more “homely” environment. The fans are nicer and the city treats you better. Teams from Miami, New York, and Los Angeles seem to be nothing short of pressure chambers, as often playing for big market teams works against a player’s psyche.
Moreover, analysts like SAS, have earlier believed that playing in a smaller market doesn’t bode well for athletes like Damian Lillard. Reggie, on the other hand, had a successful career playing with Indiana.
Reggie’s run with the Pacers
The Pacers drafted Mr. Knick Killer as the 11th pick in the 1987 draft. Miller would play 18 seasons for the Pacers, before hanging it up in 2005. He retired as the NBA’s leader in three-pointers made, a record that now belongs to Stephen Curry.
Many teams overlooked Reggie during the draft due to his underwhelming size and strength, but they soon regretted it. The 5-time All-Star would develop into an assassin, as he proved unstoppable on the scoring end of the floor. He would lead the Pacers to the 1999- 2000 NBA finals, where they lost to the Kobe-Shaq Lakers.
Reggie’s time in Indiana was surely special. Miller still holds the record for the most points scored by a player in a Pacers uniform( 25,279 points). Regardless of how many may view Miller, his competitive nature bought out the best in him. With the Pacers once again looking like a solid playoff team, it would be interesting to see if we can witness another finals run by the Pacers, 23 years later.
