Oliver J. Miller (born April 6 1970 in Fort Worth,
Texas
), known as (The) "Big O," is a retired American
professional basketball
player in the NBA.
Miller is well-known for his large size (6-foot-9, over 300
pounds). After graduating from the
University of Arkansas, he was selected
by the
Phoenix Suns as the 22nd overall
pick in the
1992 NBA Draft. He went
on to play for various NBA teams over his 8-year career, including
the Suns (1992-94, 1999-00),
Detroit
Pistons (1994-95),
Toronto
Raptors (1995-96 and 1997-98),
Dallas Mavericks (1996-97) and
Sacramento Kings (1998-99). He was signed
by the
Indiana Pacers during the 2002
pre-season, but he was waived before the regular season
began.
Miller was known as a talented center with good passing skills, at
his peak (1995-96) averaging 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.9
assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. However, Miller was
also notorious for his weight problems. In the beginning of his
career, he was officially listed at 280 lbs., but in the later
years of his NBA career he ballooned out to well over 300 lbs.,
seriously reducing his mobility and stamina.
Following his initial stint in the NBA, Miller moved overseas,
joining
Iraklio BC in Greece for the
1998-99 season, before signing with the Kings in February, 1999 to
play in 4 games. He spent the next season back with the Suns,
playing in 51 games. After the season, Miller became a bit of a
basketball vagabond, joining the
Harlem Globetrotters for the first of
two stints with the team, then Pruszkow in Poland and back to the
Globetrotters.
In December 2001, after another brief term with the Globetrotters,
Miller was released for showing "no appreciation for what it takes
mentally and physically to be a Harlem Globetrotter"
[184502]. In January of 2002, he signed with
Roseto of Italy and then joined the
Continental Basketball
Association with the
Gary
Steelheads before moving to the competing
American Basketball
Association's
Southern
California Surf and the
USBL's
Dodge City Legend. He returned to the
Steelheads in October, 2002, and was traded to the
Dakota Wizards in February, 2003.
In the 2003-04 season, Miller made a comeback with the
Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite being
listed at 315 lbs.
[184503], he was still able to play an average of 10
minutes a game off the bench in his last NBA season.
After a stint in
Puerto Rico, Miller
returned to the Wizards in October, 2004 and next played with the
Texas Tycoons in the ABA until
February, 2005. He last played in 2005 for the
Arkansas RimRockers in the
ABA.
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