“The Respect Level Had Left”: Reggie Miller Admits To the Malice At The Palace Playing a Huge Role In His Decision to Retire
James Holden After an 18-year-long career, Reggie Miller decided to hang up his boots after the conclusion of the 2005 Playoffs.
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In that same season, for those who seem to have forgotten, a huge brawl occurred during the Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons clash on 19th November 2004.
Infamously referred to as “The Malice at the Palace”, the heated physical altercation led to several players being suspended for multiple games. The unforgettable incident was even one of the reasons that led to Miller retiring.
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“Basketball wasn’t enjoyable for me”: Reggie Miller
A few years ago, more than a decade after his retirement, Uncle Reg disclosed the reasons that led him to take such a decision.
Talking about how there was a sense of disrespect among the younger players in the Pacers camp, Miller revealed that he didn’t enjoy the sport.
In an interview, the sharpshooter was asked:
In the later stages of your career – one of the darkest times in the NBA was the Brawl of Auburn Hills. Did that change any way you thought about anything? About yourself, about your teammates, about the game?
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To which, the former UCLA Bruin candidly answered:
“That was the time when I knew it was time for me to retire. It was a much younger game. The respect level of it had left I thought and at that point in time, I didn’t tell anyone but I knew in my mind that it was time for me to retire. Maybe for the first time basketball wasn’t enjoyable for me and the maturity level wasn’t the same.”
Further, the 6-foot-7 swingman also stated that teaching his younger teammate a thing or two about respect would end up being a frustrating task for him.
“Trying to teach them respect, to be on time, and to go over the playbooks, they didn’t want to have any parts in it. They just wanted to have fun. A lot of these younger players just wanted to show up and it frustrated me,” Miller said.
A look at Reggie’s illustrious career
Despite not winning a championship during his near-two-decade-long career, Miller has had one of the best careers for a shooting guard.
A star for the Pacers for the entirety of his career, the Hall-Of-Famer retired as a 5-time All-Star, 3-time All-NBA player, and one of the game’s greatest shooters ever.
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