Reggie Miller facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Reggie Miller

Miller in 2010

Personal information

Born

August 24, 1965 (age 59)
Riverside, California, U.S.

High school

Riverside Polytechnic
(Riverside, California)

Listed height

6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)

Listed weight

195 lb (88 kg)

Career information

College

UCLA (1983–1987)

NBA Draft

1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall

Selected by the Indiana Pacers

Pro career

1987–2005

Career history

1987–2005

Indiana Pacers

Career highlights and awards

5× NBA All-Star (1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000)
3× All-NBA Third Team (1995, 1996, 1998)
NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021)
No. 31 retired by Indiana Pacers
Third-team All-American – UPI (1986)
2× First-team All-Pac-10 (1986, 1987)
NIT MVP (1985)
No. 31 retired by UCLA Bruins
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2002)

Career NBA statistics

Points

25,279 (18.2 ppg)

Rebounds

4,182 (3.0 rpg)

Assists

4,141 (3.0 apg)

Medals

Men's basketball

Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1996 Atlanta	Men's basketball
FIBA World Championship
Gold	1994 Canada	Men's basketball

Reggie Miller (born August 24, 1965) is a famous American former professional basketball player. He played his entire 18-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana Pacers. Many people think he is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He was known for his amazing three-point shots, especially in important games. He was often called "Knick Killer" because of his great plays against the New York Knicks.

Miller was chosen for the All-Star team five times. He was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2021, he was also named to the special NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Before joining the NBA, Miller played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He was picked by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 1987 NBA draft. When he stopped playing, Miller held the NBA record for the most three-point shots made in a career. He is now sixth on that list. Miller also won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. His jersey number 31 was retired by the Pacers in 2006. After his playing career, he became a basketball commentator for TNT and CBS Sports.

Early Life and Family
College Basketball Career
NBA Career Highlights
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular season
- Playoffs
Playing for Team USA
Life After Basketball
Achievements and Records
See also

Early Life and Family

Reggie Miller was born in Riverside, California. He went to Riverside Polytechnic High School. When he was born, he had hip problems that made it hard for him to walk correctly. He wore braces on both legs for several years. This helped his legs become strong enough to walk normally.

Reggie comes from a very athletic family. He has four siblings. His brother Darrell played Major League Baseball. His sister Tammy played volleyball in college. His older sister Cheryl is also a famous basketball player and is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Cheryl won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1984.

Reggie often tells a story about how Cheryl used to beat him in one-on-one basketball games. They stopped playing when Reggie finally became tall and skilled enough to block her shots. Reggie says his unique shooting style, where he shot with a high arc, was developed to get his shots over Cheryl's blocks.

College Basketball Career

Miller with the ball against Washington State University, 1985

Miller went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He studied history there. In the 1984–85 season, he helped the UCLA Bruins win the NIT championship. In his last year, 1986–87, he was chosen for the All-Pac-10 team for the second year in a row. He led the Bruins to win their regular-season championship and their first Pac-10 tournament championship.

The three-point field goal was added to college basketball in the 1986–87 season. Reggie made 69 three-pointers that year. One of his most memorable games was on January 24, 1987, against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He made a 24-foot shot that put the Bruins ahead with only 10 seconds left. Another great game was against Louisville on February 28, 1987. Miller scored 33 points in the second half, which is still a school record.

Miller's last college game was a loss in the second round of the 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He finished his UCLA career as the second-highest scorer in school history, right behind Lew Alcindor.

As of 2009, Miller still holds UCLA records for most league points and most free throws in a single season. UCLA retired his No. 31 jersey in 2013. He was also honored in the Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor in 2010.

NBA Career Highlights

Starting Strong (1987–1993)

The Indiana Pacers picked Miller as the 11th player in the 1987 NBA draft. Some fans were not happy at first because they wanted the Pacers to pick a local player. Miller wore jersey number 31. He quickly became a key player for the Pacers. He helped them become a team that regularly made it to the playoffs.

On November 28, 1992, Miller had an amazing game against the Charlotte Hornets. He scored a career-high 57 points in a 134–122 win. This is still the Pacers' record for most points in an NBA game.

Becoming a Star (1993–2000)

Miller became very well-known during the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks. In Game 5, he scored 39 points, with 25 of those points coming in the fourth quarter! He made many long three-pointers and even had a lively chat with famous Knicks fan Spike Lee, who was sitting courtside. The Pacers won that game, but they lost the series.

"Eight Points in Nine Seconds"

One of Reggie Miller's most famous moments happened on May 7, 1995. It was Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, again against the Knicks. The Pacers were losing by six points with only 18.7 seconds left. Miller then scored eight points in just 8.9 seconds! He made a three-pointer, stole the ball, made another three-pointer to tie the game, and then made two free throws to win the game 107–105. It was a shocking victory for the Pacers.

The Pacers beat the Knicks in that series but then lost to the Orlando Magic.

Miller's public feud with film director Spike Lee generated controversy for several years in the NBA playoffs.

After missing the playoffs in 1997, the Pacers returned in 1998. They reached the Eastern Conference Finals to play against Michael Jordan and the Bulls. In Game 4, with the Pacers down by one point and only 2.9 seconds left, Miller made a game-winning three-pointer over Jordan. The Pacers pushed the series to a Game 7, but the Bulls won and went on to win the championship.

Reaching the NBA Finals

Miller (right) taking a shot during Game 5 of the 2000 NBA Finals.

In 2000, Miller and his teammate Jalen Rose each scored 40 points in a playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers. This was a record for two teammates in a playoff game. The Pacers finally broke through and defeated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Miller scored 34 points in the final game to help the Pacers win the series.

The Pacers then went to the NBA Finals for the first time in their history. They played against the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Pacers lost the series 4–2, but Miller played very well, averaging 24.3 points per game.

Later Career and Retirement (2000–2005)

In 2001, Miller hit a game-winning three-pointer with 2.9 seconds left in a playoff game against the 76ers. In 2002, he almost single-handedly beat the New Jersey Nets in a playoff game. He made a 40-foot three-pointer to send the game into overtime. He then made a dunk in the first overtime to send it to a second overtime. Even though the Pacers lost, Miller showed he was a true clutch performer.

As his career neared its end, Miller let his teammate Jermaine O'Neal take over as the team's main leader. However, Miller was still the player they looked to in important moments. On January 4, 2005, Jermaine O'Neal scored 55 points but left the game early to make sure Miller's 57-point record remained the highest.

On February 10, 2005, Miller's sister Cheryl, who was a reporter, announced that Reggie would retire at the end of the season. On April 11, he passed Jerry West to become 12th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Miller, before waving the green flag at the 2005 Indianapolis 500, days after his final game with the Pacers

Reggie Miller's last game was on May 19, 2005. The Pacers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs. Miller led the Pacers with 27 points in that game. When he left the court with seconds remaining, the crowd in Indianapolis gave him a long standing ovation. Even the Pistons players and their coach joined in the applause. It was a special moment that marked the end of his amazing career.

Over his 18 years in the NBA, Miller played 1,389 games for the Pacers. He is one of only a few NBA players who spent their entire career with just one team. He is known as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. Miller is also one of only nine players to join the 50–40–90 club, which means he shot very high percentages from the field, three-point range, and the free-throw line in a single season. He made 2,560 three-pointers in his career, which was an NBA record when he retired.

NBA Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1987–88	Indiana	82	1	22.4	.488	.355	.801	2.3	1.6	.6	.2	10.0
1988–89	Indiana	74	70	34.3	.479	.402	.844	3.9	3.1	1.3	.4	16.0
1989–90	Indiana	82	82	38.9	.514	.414	.868	3.6	3.8	1.3	.2	24.6
1990–91	Indiana	82	82	36.2	.512	.348	.918*	3.4	4.0	1.3	.2	22.6
1991–92	Indiana	82	82	38.0	.501	.378	.858	3.9	3.8	1.3	.3	20.7
1992–93	Indiana	82	82	36.0	.479	.399	.880	3.1	3.2	1.5	.3	21.2
1993–94	Indiana	79	79	33.4	.503	.421	.908	2.7	3.1	1.5	.3	19.9
1994–95	Indiana	81	81	32.9	.462	.415	.897	2.6	3.0	1.2	.2	19.6
1995–96	Indiana	76	76	34.5	.473	.410	.863	2.8	3.3	1.0	.2	21.1
1996–97	Indiana	81	81	36.6	.444	.427	.880	3.5	3.4	.9	.3	21.6
1997–98	Indiana	81	81	34.5	.477	.429	.868	2.9	2.1	1.0	.1	19.5
1998–99	Indiana	50*	50*	35.7	.438	.385	.915*	2.7	2.2	.7	.2	18.4
1999–00	Indiana	81	81	36.9	.448	.408	.919	3.0	2.3	1.0	.3	18.1
2000–01	Indiana	81	81	39.3	.440	.366	.928*	3.5	3.2	1.0	.2	18.9
2001–02	Indiana	79	79	36.6	.453	.406	.911*	2.8	3.2	1.1	.1	16.5
2002–03	Indiana	70	70	30.2	.441	.355	.900	2.5	2.4	.9	.1	12.6
2003–04	Indiana	80	80	28.2	.438	.401	.885	2.4	3.1	.8	.1	10.0
2004–05	Indiana	66	66	31.9	.437	.322	.933*	2.4	2.2	.8	.1	14.8
Career		1,389	1,304	34.3	.471	.395	.888	3.0	3.0	1.1	.2	18.2
All-Star		5	1	19.2	.457	.263	.750	1.0	2.0	1.0	.2	8.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1990	Indiana	3	3	41.7	.571	.429	.905	4.0	2.0	1.0	.0	20.7
1991	Indiana	5	5	38.6	.486	.421	.865	3.2	2.8	1.6	.4	21.6
1992	Indiana	3	3	43.3	.581	.636	.800	2.3	4.7	1.3	.0	27.0
1993	Indiana	4	4	43.8	.533	.526	.947	3.0	2.8	.8	.0	31.5
1994	Indiana	16	16	36.0	.448	.422	.839	3.0	2.9	1.3	.2	23.2
1995	Indiana	17	17	37.7	.476	.422	.860	3.6	2.1	.9	.2	25.5
1996	Indiana	1	1	31.0	.412	.333	.867	1.0	1.0	1.0	.0	29.0
1998	Indiana	16	16	39.3	.426	.400	.904	1.8	2.0	1.2	.2	19.9
1999	Indiana	13	13	37.0	.397	.333	.895	3.9	2.6	.7	.2	20.2
2000	Indiana	22	22	40.5	.452	.395	.938	2.4	2.7	1.0	.4	24.0
2001	Indiana	4	4	44.3	.456	.429	.933	5.0	2.5	.8	.5	31.3
2002	Indiana	5	5	39.6	.506	.419	.875	3.2	2.8	1.6	.2	23.6
2003	Indiana	6	6	29.3	.283	.160	.913	2.3	2.3	.2	.2	9.2
2004	Indiana	16	16	28.4	.402	.375	.922	2.3	2.8	1.1	.2	10.1
2005	Indiana	13	13	33.1	.434	.318	.941	3.1	1.5	.8	.1	14.8
Career		144	144	36.9	.449	.390	.893	2.9	2.5	1.0	.2	20.6

Playing for Team USA

Miller was part of two gold medal-winning teams for the US national team. He won gold at the 1994 FIBA World Championship and at the 1996 Olympic Games. In the 1994 tournament, he was the second-highest scorer for the team. In 1996, he also had the second-highest total points for the team. He played in 5 of the 8 games.

He returned to the USA Team for the 2002 FIBA World Championship. However, the team did not win the championship that year. Miller was injured during the tournament and played limited minutes.

Life After Basketball

Reggie Miller
Miller working an NBA on TNT telecast with Mike Fratello (left) and Marv Albert (right).
Years active	2005–present
Sports commentary career
Genre(s)	color commentator
Sports	NBA, NCAA men's basketball

After retiring from playing, Reggie Miller became an NBA analyst for TNT in August 2005. His sister, Cheryl, is also a reporter for the same network. Miller has also been a guest host on the TV talk show Live with Regis and Kelly. He currently hosts TNT's NBA coverage and answers questions from fans in a segment called "Reggie's Mailbag."

On March 30, 2006, the Indiana Pacers retired Miller's number 31 jersey in a special ceremony. This means no other Pacers player will wear that number.

Since 2011, Miller has also worked as a TV analyst for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship tournament, which is a big college basketball event.

Miller with Ray Allen and Steph Curry, recognized as the three greatest shooters in NBA history

A documentary about Reggie Miller called Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks was released on March 14, 2010. It focused on his famous rivalry with the Knicks.

Miller has also appeared in some creative works. He did a voice role in the Disney animated TV series Hercules. After he retired, he appeared in a comedy movie called Uncle Drew in 2018. He also appeared on the reality TV show Hell's Kitchen.

In December 2020, he was voted onto the USA Cycling Board of Directors.

Achievements and Records

Reggie Miller played more games with the same team than almost any other player in NBA history. He scored 25,279 points in his career.
He was named to the All-NBA Third Team three times.
Miller was the first Indiana Pacer player to start in an NBA All-Star Game, which he did in 1995. He was also an All-Star in 1990, 1996, 1998, and 2000.
When he retired, Miller held the NBA record for the most three-point field goals made (2,560). This record was later broken by Ray Allen and then by Stephen Curry.
He led the league in three-point field goals made twice (1992–93, 1996–97).
Miller made a three-pointer in 68 games in a row from November 1996 to April 1997.
He led the league in free throw percentage five times (1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004).
Miller is one of only nine players in the 50–40–90 club. This means he shot 50% or better from the field, 40% or better from three-point range, and 90% or better from the free-throw line in a single season.
He is second all-time in 30-point playoff games against the New York Knicks, with nine such games. Only Michael Jordan has more.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Miller was honored as one of the NBA's greatest players by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.