Larry Bird: I knew Reggie Miller would get into the Hall of Fame – NBA Update
The last 7 inductees to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame were announced recently and one name that stood out for most basketball fans was that of Reggie Miller. Miller, a former Indiana Pacers guard and a current TNT analyst, is forever enshrined
in the memories of basketball fans for his many exploits over a career that spanned 18 years.
One of his coaches was the great Larry Bird, who is regarded as one of the finest players to grace the NBA and is already a member of the Hall of Fame. Bird is currently the President at Indiana and he took time out to speak about Miller’s upcoming induction.
Larry, who also played against Miller when the latter was starting his career and the former was in his twilight, said he saw it coming. Playing against Miller was always tough, but it was when Larry coached him that he could see how special he was, and
that he had a great chance of one day making it into the NBA Hall of Fame.
"They had a scoring team when I was playing against him," said Bird. "You always had to faceguard Reggie, try to make him put it on the floor. You always knew that he was going to be a very good player in this league. You really don't think about the Hall
of Fame until you get done playing, but when I was coaching him, I knew he'd have a great shot at getting in."
There were a number of traits that made Miller standout. He is perhaps one of the best shooters the game has ever seen, terrorizing opposing teams from within and beyond the arc consistently in his 18 years. Another trait is his loyalty, with the precocious
talented Miller staying with the Indiana Pacers throughout, despite getting many chances, including right till the end and even after his retirement, to play at bigger market teams.
He will also be remembered for a work ethic and commitment to training that even put the best to shame. Miller was part of a group in Indiana that was renowned for their workmanlike approach, the likes Sam Perkins, Dale Davis, Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson.
However, Bird recalled that even among such names, it was Miller who stood out, and he inspired the rest of the lot to up the ante as well.
"I think that it was all because of Reggie," he said. "Not that them guys wouldn't work hard, but Reggie tended to stay after practice, do a lot of shooting, and back then, we'd have all 13 guys out there after practice for at least an hour."
One feels that the plaudits have just started coming for Miller, who will surely receive many more before his big night in the hall.
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