Miller, Cheryl (1964—)

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Miller, Cheryl (1964—)

African-American basketball player. Born in Riverside, California, on January 3, 1964; third of five children of Saul Miller and Carrie Miller; sister of Reggie Miller (a basketball player for the NBA); graduated from Riverside Polytechnic High School, 1982; graduated from the University of Southern California.

Awards:

named four-time All-American; won final four Most Valuable Player honors after tournaments (1983 and 1984); named Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year (1985); inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (1995).

Led the University of Southern California team to successive NCAA championships (1983 and 1984); was a member of championship U.S. team of the World University Games (1983); anchored the gold medal U.S. Olympic team (1984).

"I feel grateful that I grew up when I did," says basketball champion Cheryl Miller, who was born in Riverside, California, in 1964, the third of five children. "So many great Black athletes paved the way for me.…They pushed, they persevered, and whether they knew it or not, they were opening doors that will never be closed again." Miller also credits much of her success to her father, who had seen his share of racial discrimination and encouraged his children to be just a little better than the rest, in the classroom and on the athletic field. "[Dad] told us that if a White coach had to choose between a Black athlete and a White athlete of similar skills, he would choose the White athlete. Every time," she wrote in Ebony. "The moral therefore was that it was not enough for us to be good—we had to be flat out better." As a result, Miller and her brother, NBA star Reggie Miller, grew up very sure of themselves and their talent. Their confidence was sometimes interpreted as arrogance or cockiness.

Miller learned basketball while playing with her brothers in the back yard. At age 11, she tried out for a local boys' team, but after out-performing the coach's son, she was denied a place on the squad. By the time she reached Riverside Polytechnic High School, Miller's talent had fully blossomed, and the 6′2" teenager led her high school's varsity team to a 132–4 record during her four years of play. She became the first woman to dunk a basketball in regulation play and was named to Parade Magazine's All-American Team for four consecutive years.

It surprised no one that 250 colleges and universities offered Miller scholarships, making her the most heavily recruited female athlete of her day. She chose the University of Southern California where she majored in communication and came to dominate USC's women's basketball team. Miller led the team to back-to-back NCAA titles, and by the end of her college career had broken the NCAA women's career records for scoring, free throws, field goals, rebounds, blocking, and steals. In 1983, Miller also played for teams representing the United States in the Pan American Games and in the World University Games, where she scored 37 points in the finals, helping the team win the championship. Her career peaked in 1984, when she was the leading scorer for the gold-medal U.S. Olympic team. For a short time afterwards, she enjoyed superstar status, appearing on magazine covers and making television appearances, including an interview with Barbara Walters and a guest spot on "Cagney and Lacey."

By the time her college career ended, Miller had won most of the major basketball awards, including the Broderick Award (1984, 1985), the Wade Trophy (1985), and the Naismith Trophy (1984, 1985, 1986); she was also named the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association Player of the Year (1985, 1986) and Female College Athlete of the Year (1984). Following graduation, she was offered jobs with the Harlem Globetrotters and with a European women's league, but she chose instead to play with the U.S. national team. After winning gold medals at the Goodwill Games in Moscow and at the World

Basketball championship, Miller suffered a severe knee injury which ended her playing career.

After retiring, Miller served for two seasons as head basketball coach at her alma mater, then became a full-time college basketball commentator with ABC-TV. In 1995, she joined Turner Sports as a reporter for NBA coverage on the TNT and TBS networks. In November 1996, she became the first woman analyst to work on a nationally televised NBA game. When the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) was formed, Miller became head coach and general manager of the Phoenix Mercury.

In May 1995, escorted by her childhood idol, Julius Erving, who called her "the greatest women's player ever," Miller was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. One of only eleven women so honored (including Anne Donovan who was inducted in the same ceremony), Miller reflected on her stunning career. "I wasn't the greatest athlete and I couldn't jump out of the gym and I wasn't an extraordinary ball handler," she told the Los Angeles Times. "I was just someone who loved the game so very much and had a passion for sport and life."