How Andre Miller Played in the NBA for 17 Seasons
Former Ute and 17-year NBA veteran Andre Miller joined Scott Mitchell. He played with 8 or 9 teams in the NBA. He enjoyed playing for the teams that he played for. He eventually got used to changing teams and systems. He didn’t mind moving around as much as he did. He never disliked a teammate.
He played for many different organizations and he really respected the successful teams like the San Antonio Spurs. He thinks of coaches as people person. Dealing with guys from different walks of life and they know how to deal with people. He learned more from Gregg Popovich of the Spurs in 2 or 3 months than he did in a long stretch of his career. Because he knew how to respect guys and connect with them.
How did Andre Miller last in the NBA for 17 years? He kept things simple. He knew how to manage his body, when to push his body and when to back off. He didn’t need to hire a personal trainer for the offseason. He spent that time with his family. He would occasionally drive by a court and see a pickup game going on and he would just join in.
Andre found his love for basketball came when he was very little. Growing up in Los Angeles in 80’s, basketball was a big deal especially with the show time Lakers. He always had a basketball in his hand.
He played for the University of Utah when Rick Majerus was the head coach. He was a no-nonsense guy and was hardnosed, did not care about anyone’s feelings. As crazy as it sounds, he never hurt Andre’s feelings. He never took anything negative that Rick said personally.
As a Utah alum as well, Scott was in San Antonio when the 1998 Utes were playing Kentucky for the National Championship. Andre said that the bond between the team was special. They never went home during the summer, they were working out together in the gym all year long.
The hardest person for Andre to guard in the NBA was everybody (jokingly). He was a good defensive guard so he would guard guys like Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and other star players.
It’s time for the Gauntlet of truth. If Andre could play in any era for any team, who would it be? The show time Lakers. The biggest regret is that he wished he was more social in the NBA. He didn’t put himself in other positions to do good things off the court. The one thing that he wants to share with people about his life is what his mother told him is to keep his mouth closed and the more you talk, the more trouble you get into and people are watching you. The biggest influence in his life is his family and friends, no matter how crazy and ignorant they are. He never wanted to disappoint them.
Scott Mitchell takes his helmet off to show you the inside scoop of all kinds of sports from football to even golf. Scott Mitchell is a former NFL quarterback who was a star quarterback at the University of Utah before going on to have a professional career playing with the Miami Dolphins, the Orlando Thunder, the Detroit Lions, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Scott also hosts the podcast Rivals with former NFL player Jason Buck.
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Published: Tuesday February 20, 2018
Runtime: 00:25:20