Reggie Miller, considered by many as one of the best clutch shooters in NBA history, can finally take his place among the other basketball legends. Miller was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2012, and in attendance were some of the league’s greats. Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Cheryl Miller were all on stage with Miller and the Pacer sharp-shooter spoke about his basketball journey.
Miller grew up in California, and just like most youngsters, he idolized the Showtime Lakers. Fortunately for Miller, he had a chance to interact with the Lakers legends and when he spoke to Pacers.com, Miller talked about how they helped mold him into a Hall of Fame player.
Having Magic (Johnson) and Byron (Scott) and Coop (Michael Cooper) take me under their wing and show me a lot of the mistakes and some of the things I was doing right. If they were showing that kind of interest, that gave me the belief that possibly I could play. And once I got here, I knew I could play.
Johnson, Scott and Cooper were very successful players and they understood the ins-and-outs of the game. That trio helped bring the Lakers to the top of the basketball world and everyone wanted to play just like those legends. Johnson was very fond of Miller and those two continued their relationship after basketball thanks to broadcasting.
Although Johnson never had a chance to play with Miller, the Laker point guard was beyond happy to see his protege being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzhg5DbJqzc
