The gritty Indiana Pacers icon admits to being nervous before his induction on Friday....
Reggie Miller retired from NBA in 2005 after spending 18 long years with the Indiana Pacers during which he averaged 18.2 points per game. From being considered a skinny player coming out of UCLA with an unorthodox shooting style,
Miller established himself as one of the best long range shooters to ever come through the NBA.
If anyone has seen Miller take to court in his time, no one in their right mind would think that he gets tense before a game. But, as he gets inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Miller admits of being nervous.
"Wow," Miller said in a recently given interview. "I think I'm starting to feel nervous. I know that's surprising for me to say. It's because I can see the train coming at me, the light at the end of the tunnel."
He may have not won an NBA Championship in his career and that can be credited to Michael Jordan who was coming into his own with the Chicago Bulls, however, Miller can be remembered for putting the Pacers on the map as playoff
contenders. Before his time, the Pacers did not even remotely offer any competitiveness. But shortly after Miller’s arrival, the Pacers went into putting together a long playoff history with the New York Knicks.
The rivalry between the Knicks and the Pacers would never have been of the same magnitude had Miller not been around with his brilliance in scoring and his gritty personality which became a highlighted aspect of his career.
In order to honour Miller for his services, the Pacers retired his jersey number ‘31’ shortly after his retirement. He was eligible to get selected in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last year as well but failed to make the
cut.
However, to Miller that was a good thing as now he would get inducted alongside one of his mentors and former Pacers stars, Mel Daniels.
"This is going to be a great day if you are an Indiana Pacer fan," Miller said. "I never thought about the Hall of Fame while I was playing or even once I retired. I just knew I had a pretty good career. Now, it's here. Talk about
being nervous."
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