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Indiana Pacers: 25 Best Players To Play For The Pacers

By Phil Watson

Apr 29, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers fans cheer from the stands during the Pacers' game against the Toronto Raptors in the second half in game six of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Toronto 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 29, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers fans cheer from the stands during the Pacers' game against the Toronto Raptors in the second half in game six of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Toronto 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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MANHATTAN, NY – CIRCA 1990’s: Guard Reggie Miller #31 of the Indiana Pacers is guarded closely by John Starks #3 of the New York Knicks circa mid 1990’s during an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York. Miller played for the Pacers from 1987-05. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, NY – CIRCA 1990’s: Guard Reggie Miller #31 of the Indiana Pacers is guarded closely by John Starks #3 of the New York Knicks circa mid 1990’s during an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York. Miller played for the Pacers from 1987-05. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

SG. 1987-2005. Reggie Miller. 4. player. 100. <strong>How Acquired: </strong>11th overall pick from UCLA, 1987 NBA Draft.

He was a skinny kid who could score, as evidenced by him topping the 20-point-per-game mark as a junior and senior at UCLA. But Reggie Miller entered the NBA with plenty of doubters.

He and the Indiana Pacers got the last laugh … and then some. The Pacers selected Miller with the 11th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft and the 6-foot-7, 185-pound stringbean strung together an 18-year ride through the league.

IND_04_MILLER
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Miller was a three-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star. He led the NBA in three-pointers in 1992-93 and 1996-97 and finished in the top five in the category a whopping 13 times.

He also paced the league in free-throw shooting five times among 10 top-five finishes. He was fifth in minutes per game in 1989-90 and third in three-point shooting in 1993-94.

It was late in Miller’s career when he got a chance to play in the NBA Finals in 2000, leading the Pacers in scoring while averaging 24.3 points, 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 42.0 minutes per game in the six-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, shooting .413/.375/.978.

Miller soldiered on until May 2005, when he announced his retirement. The Pacers, in a salary cap move, used the amnesty provision to waive him in August 2005.

In 18 seasons in Indiana, Miller averaged 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.3 minutes per game on .471/.395/.888 shooting.

Most well-known for his exchanges with Spike Lee during the playoffs against the New York Knicks and his famous eight-points-in-nine-seconds flurry against the Knicks in the 1995 NBA Playoffs, Miller was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

He is ninth in NBA history with 1,389 games and 47,619 minutes, second with 2,560 three-pointers, 43rd with 1,505 steals, 19th with 25,279 points, 49th with a three-point percentage of .395 and 10th with a free-throw percentage of .888.

Next: J.O. Grew Up Fast In Indy

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