The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with UCLA historian Spencer Stueve about Reggie Miller winning an NIT title in 1985 and a gold medal in 1996.
After coming to UCLA Reggie would often spend his summers playing pick-up games on campus with several members of the Lakers including Magic Johnson/Byron Scott/Michael Cooper: what kind of education did the college kid get from the pros? UCLA has long been the preferred summer pick-up game location for NBA players and the Bruins have benefited from being able to play alongside the pros all summer long. The full-court runs in what used to be called the “Men’s Gym” at UCLA are legendary: it is hot, the windows are covered, and NBA players get after it. Reggie was never one to back down: even in college he had that signature cockiness and those games helped him immensely.
In the 1985 NIT title game he helped UCLA win its 1st and only NIT title by scoring 18 PTS in a 3-PT win over Indiana en route to being named Most Outstanding Player: what did it mean to him to win a title, and did Coach John Wooden’s teams raise the bar so high that people in Westwood did not care about NIT titles? No one at UCLA cares about that NIT title: it is never talked about. Most fans do not even know that UCLA ever won the NIT, but it was used as a springboard to the next season.
In 1987 he led the Pac-10 with 64 STL: he is primarily known as a shooter/scorer but do you think that he deserves more credit for his defense? Reggie was a fine defensive player: he was very instinctual/very competitive. He is known primarily for his offense (rightfully so) but was an underrated defender.
He graduated from UCLA as the #2 scorer in school history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: where does he rank among the all-time greats at a school that has had so many all-time greats? He is a top-10 player in school history. Unfortunately, he played at UCLA during a period of general mediocrity. There was a ton of pressure on UCLA in the decade that followed Coach Wooden’s retirement in 1975 to keep the winning tradition alive. If Reggie had come around 15 years earlier then he would likely be considered a top-5 player: below Lew Alcindor/Bill Walton but in the conversation with guys like Gail Goodrich/Walt Hazzard/Sidney Wicks/Keith Wilkes/Marques Johnson.
In Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden he scored 39 PTS (including 25 PTS/5-5 3PM in the 4th quarter) to lead Indiana to a 7-PT win over the Knicks, then in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals at Madison Square Garden he famously scored 8 PTS in 8.9 seconds to clinch a 2-PT win over the Knicks: how was he able to perform so well on the big stage with Spike Lee screaming at him every single spring?! He embraced the challenge. He was not perfect in clutch moments but nobody ever is. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and all of the other “clutch” players had plenty of misses but they were never scared. Reggie was the same: he was fueled by Spike Lee but he was calm during the chaos.
He played for team USA at the 1996 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? I have never heard him talk about it but I am sure that it is 1 of the great accomplishments in his life.
He is 1 of 5 NBA players who spent their entire career of 18+ years with a single franchise (along with a quartet of legends in Kobe Bryant/Tim Duncan/Dirk Nowitzki/John Stockton) and his 1389 career games for Indiana is #12 in NBA history: what was the key to his loyalty/longevity? Reggie loved Indiana: there was a comfort level there and he spoke frequently about trying to build something where he started. He had his eyes on Michael Jordan and the Bulls for most of his career but he was not angling to make his way there and join them: he was figuring out what he could do to beat them. As he got older he felt a responsibility to the franchise to mentor the younger guys.
His 88.8 career FT% is #12 in NBA history and his 2560 career 3PM trails only Ray Allen for the most in NBA history: what is his secret for being 1 of the best shooters in the history of the sport? Reggie was a workaholic who was fanatical about his conditioning. He knew that he had to move to get open, and when he got to his spots he had to have the energy to rise and fire. He was a tremendous shooter and like all great shooters he put in the work to get better.
His older sister Cheryl went to USC, won a gold medal of her own in 1984, and is arguably the best women’s basketball player ever: what is the dynamic like between the 2 of them, and who is the better player? Cheryl was the better player when they were in high school/college. She once scored 105 points in a high school game and was 1 of the best women’s college players ever. She was never really able to show what she could do beyond college because of limited opportunities for women basketball players, so it is hard to compare the two because Reggie went on to have great success after college.
In 2012 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He was competitive, clutch, and extremely talented. He is the father of the 3-PT shot. Though the rule change pre-dated his NBA career, there was nobody who shot threes with the frequency of Reggie before he got into the league. If he played in the NBA now his numbers would be through the roof. He was also a big-stage player who always rose to the occasion when the lights were brightest.