Thursday night, after Reggie Miller waved goodbye following his final game against Detroit, Indiana Pacers fans implored him to stay with chants of "One more year!"
Eighteen years ago, they greeted him with boos, skepticism and controversy.
Not to mention a death threat.
It's easy to forget a rocky wedding ceremony when the marriage works out so well, but Miller's long, occasionally exhilarating and ultimately stable relationship with the Pacers and their fans seemed unlikely when they tied the knot June 22, 1987. Donnie Walsh, then the Pacers' general manager, delivered the pronouncement shortly after 1 p.m. when he stepped to a microphone at the team's draft party at Market Square Arena.
"The Pacers will take UCLA's Reggie Miller," he announced.
The crowd of about 5,000 fans responded mostly with boos. That came as no shock to Walsh, whose first pick as the team's GM the previous year -- Chuck Person -- was met with a similar reaction. The fact Person won Rookie of the Year the season before didn't matter to fans who hoped the Pacers would select local folk hero Steve Alford.
The New Castle High School graduate was The Indianapolis Star's Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1983 and had earned All-America honors while leading Indiana University to the NCAA championship. He was at the peak of his popularity and seemed a perfect fit for a team needing another scorer and an attendance boost.
Walsh and Pacers coach Jack Ramsay had issued carefully worded warnings the week before the draft that Alford probably wouldn't fit into their plans, but many fans were adamant in their hope. Extremely adamant, in at least one case. Walsh was accompanied by a security guard at the draft party because he had received a death threat from an Alford fan.
The Pacers, meanwhile, had given no hint of their interest in Miller -- not even to Miller. He recalls getting a bit of a cold shoulder when he was brought in for a pre-draft meeting. He doesn't remember meeting Ramsay. He says head scout Mel Daniels, who didn't favor drafting him, was downright rude. Even Walsh showed no particular interest in him.
"It was just a meet-and-greet," Miller recalled. "I was just in and out."
An article in The Indianapolis Star previewing the draft mentioned California point guard Kevin Johnson, Alford, St. John's point guard Mark Jackson, Central Arkansas swingman Scottie Pippen and Miller -- in that order -- as candidates if the Pacers chose a guard. There also was talk of moving Person to shooting guard and drafting a bigger player.
Walsh, however, had a plan, one he shared only with Ramsay. He hoped Johnson would slip to the 11th spot. If not, he would take Miller. If Miller wasn't available, he would take Jackson.
Miller was their most realistic target, though, and Ramsay was on board with it.
"We needed a young guy who could shoot it and could play the position," Ramsay recalled. "I thought he was the best available."
Miller, meanwhile, was expecting and hoping to go to Philadelphia, which had the 16th pick. Sixers forward Charles Barkley had campaigned for him, and the team's owner, Howard Katz, had brought him to his house for dinner during his pre-draft visit. Miller spent part of the evening shooting in the driveway with Katz's son.
Miller wasn't opposed to going to the Pacers, but his reaction when the Pacers announced their pick gave a different impression. A television crew had set up in the living room of his family's Riverside, Calif., home and caught his tepid, uncertain response. That was merely an awkward acting effort, however.
Miller and his sister, Cheryl, were wired with an earpiece and microphone. After Chicago took Horace Grant with the 10th pick, they heard a producer alert the camera crew that Indiana would select Miller next. Walsh, however, didn't make the official announcement for another minute or two.
Unsure how to handle the moment, Miller looked at Cheryl.
"Just act surprised," she said.
His performance wasn't Oscar-worthy, but it's no wonder. Miller was genuinely confused by the selection because the Pacers had shown so little interest in him.
"I wasn't thinking, 'Oh, God, Indiana,' " he recalls. "I was just surprised."
He wasn't alone. While Pacers fans weren't expecting to hear his name, those in Southern California were surprised it took so long. The UCLA star was the school's second all-time leading scorer behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the time and seemed a natural choice for the Los Angeles Clippers, who picked fourth. They took another skinny shooting guard, however, Georgetown's Reggie Williams. For years afterward, the Clippers would be harangued for taking the "wrong Reggie."
Alford, meanwhile, was angry and frustrated after dropping to the second round, where Dallas took him with the 26th pick. His family had allowed reporters to wait in the garage while they watched the draft on television. By the time he emerged to talk with them, he was vowing to prove his detractors wrong and questioning the Pacers' choice.
"I don't know why the Pacers would want Reggie Miller," he said then. "He's a forward and they don't need a forward."
Miller had indeed played forward at UCLA. NBA scouts saw him as a prototypical shooting guard, however.
The public reaction to Walsh's decision was tempered by the fact local analysts, particularly The Star's columnists, supported it. The Star published letters from fans that took both sides. Still, the disappointment from many fans lingered for months.
Alford played four seasons in the NBA as a backup guard in Dallas and Golden State, averaging 4.4 points. He then began a college coaching career that has lasted 16 seasons, the past six at the University of Iowa.
His popularity in Indiana hasn't wavered, but nobody second-guesses the Pacers' decision now.
Alford and Miller have crossed paths over the years. Their conversations have been perfunctory, but they would have a lot to talk about if they ever took the time. That one afternoon 18 years ago will link them forever.
"I'm from Indiana and he's had an 18-year career there," Alford says. "That's what you appreciate about Indiana basketball. They fight for their homegrown talent. But the way it's worked out has been great for the Pacers and their fans."
Hindsight is 20/20
How the 10 players drafted ahead of the Indiana Pacers' Reggie Miller in 1987 fared in the NBA.
Player College Drafted by
1. David Robinson Navy San Antonio
Comment: Played 14 seasons; likely Hall of Famer
__________________ "until they free Pimp C or Stephen Jackson get a ring" - Bun B "I'm goin hard on the block, posted up like Jermaine O'Neal" - Paul Wall "Roll with Stephen Jackson like I'm Austin Croshere" - Bun B
Yes, dial-up is horrible. The download actually took 1:20:00.
Great. I opened the file instead of saving it, so it disappeared when I restarted my computer. I'll just try to see if somewhere still has an issue of it tomorrow, or else I'll go through the ever lasting download again.
Anyone read the Reggie Section of the Star?
Linear Mode
