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Nikola Jokic: “When I came to the NBA, I had Jameer Nelson and Wilson Chandler as role models when it came to training.” “Mike Miller was there too, although he was already a little older at the time.
"When I arrived in Denver, I had Wilson Chandler and Jameer Nelson. Mike Miller was there too, though he was getting on in years. I often think of them; we even have a group chat and stay in touch. They were at the gym every single day; their mindset was simply, "I’m going to show up and get some work done." "I had really good role models, I just copied them. I didn't have to be a genius. Over the years, you develop your own routine and find what works for you."
NBA Courtside: Matthew Dellavedova tells a story about having to go to the hospital after guarding Steph Curry in game 3 of the 2015 finals: “I mean, obviously it’s like an impossible task chasing Steph around. He never gets tired. Bogut and Draymond and David Lee are trying to kill me on screens. Bogut is my assistant coach now on Sydney. I just remember coming to timeouts and Mike Miller, James Jones are just like grabbing me by the shoulder saying, “You got to get every loose ball.” And I’m head’s like wobbling around…. So I get in the locker room, they do the talk, but I start cramping. Steve and UK take me back there. They like cut my tights. They’re trying to rub ice. My quads are cramping. My hamstrings are cramping. So you can’t stretch one or the other. I’m just in a world of hurt. Then they like carry me and put me in the ice bath up to like here and I’m just sitting there and slowly the cramps kind of go away. And then we only had 1 day between the games. And so I think Steve and the doctor were like, “Yeah, your best shot at getting ready for the next game is going to the hospital and just getting an IV overnight.” (Via @Rjeff24)
Danilo Gallinari on Nikola Jokic: "I think that changed because when he was when when we were together the complain that the coaches had and I was telling him too and I was talking also Mike Miller was one of my teammates and Mike was his guy was the guy that was spending more time with the Nikola. He wasn't working out that much. When you is your first or second season, in my opinion, you got to be there before everybody and leave after everybody. Gotcha. And so Nikola was not spending much time and of love always love to play, but not really like to practice or work. But I think that as this is what they they been telling me because a lot of people that work at the Nuggets are the same people that used to work when I was there, that changed. That changed hugely. So now he is he has his own routine, he works on his body a lot. He does a lot of training preparing to the game, preparing for the season. So that the is not true the fact that he doesn't love the game, definitely not true because if you give him the ball, he loves to play. He doesn't like as much the, you know, the the practicing on something, the practice, but a lot of players don't like love to play the game but not really like to practice or work."
Jon Rothstein: Jeremy Fears Jr. is withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to Michigan State next season, per his agent Mike Miller. Will be an All-American entering the 2026-27 season. Fears had second-round options, but opted to return to East Lansing.
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Brendan Haywood: "I tell you another thing in Miami that was a microaggression that Pat Riley did. LeBron, I didn't realize it at the time until I played with LeBron in Cleveland. I was like, oh, that's what happened. LeBron wanted Rich Paul, Maverick, Randy, and Lynn Merritt. He wanted their season tickets to be right beside the Heat bench. Oh, yeah. And you remember where were their tickets? They were right beside the bench, but it was the other team's bench. See, these are the little petty things that go on and little things become big things. Pat Riley was like, nah, we don't want you to have your crew right beside the bench that you can talk to. He could have put them anywhere, but he's going to be a funny guy. So he puts them all the way at the other. They used to sit beside our bench. I always thought that was weird in real time and then when I got to talk to LeBron and Mike Miller and all those guys, I realized, oh, Pat Riley was taking a microaggression. That is just my example to show you that these type of little things happen all the time. And LeBron James felt like Pat Riley took a shot, and I guarantee you he felt Rob Pelinka took a shot by not giving that game ball to him."
Ball and Knueppel have formed a Hornets 3-point shooting duo of the future that has a new-age Splash Brothers feel to it. Charlotte has been perhaps the best story of the NBA season and authored the most surprising turnaround with a potent starting five that includes the emerging Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate. The Hornets won 44 games after totaling just 19 wins a season ago. Only the Spurs have had a bigger turnaround this season. "Nobody's thinking that playing Charlotte is going to be an easy walkover game," Knueppel told ESPN. "Which it has been the last couple years."
Nikola Jokic: "Even then I had great veterans: Jameer Nelson, Mike Miller, Wilson Chandler, Darrell Arthur, who’s with us now. I know, I know ... Every day in the weight room. They were in the weight room every day.Every day they were in the gym. Jameer, he was dragging me around nonstop: a lunch, a dinner … I won’t name names now, but there were times in my organization where young players didn’t have the right role models and the right people to show them... to guide them. Mike Miller every time in a suit. It’s little things, but you see... that stuck with me: Mike Miller wore a suit every day.”
On Time began when Sessions’ 11-year NBA career came to an end and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to reflect on his impact on the next generation of professional basketball players. Eventually, he went into his basement and began drawing the blueprints of an agency on notebooks and loose paper with a core concept: to create a player-driven firm run by someone who had actually lived the life. In 2022, after a two-year-stint as the Pelicans Director of Basketball Operations, Sessions joined a short list of former NBAers who went on to become NBPA certified and officially became an agent. The only other former NBAers to become agents are LIFT Sports Management’s Mike Miller and Seven1 Sports & Entertainment Group’s Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O’Neal. Of the quartet, only Miller and Sessions are NBPA certified.
Jorge Sierra: Russell Westbrook passed Jason Kidd in rebounds for No. 63 all-time. Also: Jrue Holiday moved ahead of Mike Miller and D'Angelo Russell in three-pointers for No. 43 in NBA history.
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Shams Charania: Breaking: Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero has agreed to a five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $287 million, Mike Miller of LIFT Sports Management tells ESPN. Deal includes a player option; the first for a rookie max since 2021 (Luka Doncic, Trae Young).
"T-Mac, I'm telling you dog, listen — T-Mac was another level," Pierce said on Paul George's podcast. As terrific as McGrady was, he couldn't do it alone. In Orlando, the best players he played with were an oft-injured Grant Hill and a young Mike Miller. In Houston, he had the pleasure of playing with Chinese phenom Yao Ming. However, the 7'6" behemoth also dealt with a litany of injuries and was already out of the NBA after just eight seasons. "He needed that one other superstar. If you had to put T-Mac with KG, if you had to put T-Mac with Shaq, you know, yeah," Paul stressed. "People be like, 'Oh he played with Yao.' Yao was kind of hurt. He was in and out. And like, you put T-Mac with LeBron, man come on."
KC Johnson: Fun fact about Bulls’ first-round pick Noa Essengue: He’s represented by LIFT Sports Management, the agency co-founded by Billy Donovan’s prize recruit at Florida, Mike Miller
Sean Cunningham: Doug Christie's Sacramento Kings coaching staff is official: Associate head coach Mike Woodson, Bobby Jackson, Mike Miller, Chris Darnell & Leandro Barbosa are assistants. Dipesh Mistry elevated to asst. coach/player development. Paul Jesperson (head of player development) joined by Jimmy Alapag & Garrius Adams. Will Scott (coaching asst/advance scout), Shandon "Biggie" Goldman as head video coordinator & Steph Ingo as asst. video coordinator.