Much is said about talented athletes who were never able to capture that elusive championship. Do they belong in the conversation with the true greats of their game?
Take the NBA for example. Thanks in large part to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, guys like Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing never held the Larry O’Brien trophy high above their heads.
Neither did Pacers superstar, Reggie Miller.
JMV settled the score on Monday’s The Ride with JMV, making his case for why Reggie, at the very least, should be considered a legend in Indianapolis.
“If anybody says, ‘Why is Reggie Miller in the Hall of Fame? He doesn’t deserve that,’ tell them to kiss your ass,” JMV said. “You know how much Reggie Miller meant to this franchise, this city, and still does? Without him in that era, nothing was being won around here…Even without a championship, he to me equates to exactly what Manning means to the Colts around here, and they won a Super Bowl.”
Just as Peyton Manning leads the Colts franchise in passing yards, passing TDs, and completion percentage, Miller paces Indiana in career points, assists, and steals, among other categories. It’s a valid argument.
“[Miller] was what was necessary for the Pacers at that time just like Manning was what was necessary for the Colts and really football in general around here during his time.”
Given that they competed so many times head-to-head and never won an NBA title, the Twitter-verse has begun comparing Reggie Miller to Patrick Ewing. Who would JMV rather have leading his team?
“I like Patrick Ewing, too, but I would relive the Reggie Miller era again and again and again. It was that fun. It became that enjoyable.”
One could make the case that it only took Reggie nine seconds to settle that debate:
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