When Reggie Miller revealed ditching NBA title hopes for Indiana Pacers fans: "We had the heartaches together
Former NBA star Reggie Miller retired in 2005, however, there were enough reasons to believe that he might put on a Boston Celtics jersey to make a comeback in the NBA. In 2007, there were rumors that Miller might return to join the Big 3 Boston.
The Celtics, who had already had signed Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce in Boston, believed that adding Miller would give them more firepower to win the championship.
Uncle Reg was 39 when he retired in 2005 and 42 in 2007 when he made a bid to make a comeback. He gave his return a serious thought and worked out twice a day for weeks, however, he eventually decided to call it off.
In a 2022 interview with The Athletic's Bob Kravitz, the Indiana Pacers great said that though he was physically ready to make a comeback, he wasn’t able to commit mentally.
"I couldn't do it because all the tears I shed for Indiana with that fan base, we cried together on all those hurtful Knicks losses, Bulls losses, Lakers losses in the finals, it wouldn't be fair for me to be on a podium or stage popping bubb because I won my championship. And in Indiana, we grew up together, we had the heartaches together. I can't be sipping champagne and getting a ring and I didn't do it for y'all. That's just my mentality" said Miller.
Moreover, Miller also said that it wasn’t just about the mental capacity to bear the tumultuous regimen of the NBA, but also when the offer was made.
Danny Ainge, who was the Celtics’ president at that time made the offer to Miller only a few weeks ago. According to the three-point specialist, he didn’t have much time to prepare his body.
Ray Allen chooses Reggie Miller as the GOAT shooter over Steph Curry
Steph Curry, according to most of the NBA community, is considered the greatest shooter in league history. However, Ray Allen, who himself is considered one of the GOATs of shooting said that it was Reggie Miller who deserved the tite.
According to Allen, Curry, and Miller have completely different playing styles. While Curry is mostly a ball-dominant guard and does most of the damage with the ball in his hands, Miller did most of the damage with his off-ball movements.
"Yes, Reggie [is the GOAT] because of the way he set the game up, the way he played the game," Allen continued. "Obviously, I incorporated a lot of who he is into how I played. He was the standard-bearer. Without him, we don't have a formula for moving forward. So that's how I view it because it allowed me to do the things that I was capable of doing."
Allen has been ranked second behind Curry in the all-time three-pointers made list. This take is a bit surprising coming from Allen since Curry is known to play without the ball in his hands.
Most of the Warriors’ plays are centered around Curry running through the defense and coming off the screen to shoot heavy three-pointer shots.