The Man Who Choked Spike Lee: Reggie Miller, the Knick Killer Who Lived for the Moment

The Riverside Roots: Growing Up a Miller

Reginald Wayne Miller was born on August 24, 1965, in Riverside, California, into a family that would come to define American basketball. His older sister, Cheryl Miller, is widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time — a Hall of Famer, two-time NCAA champion at USC, and an Olympic gold medalist in 1984. Growing up, Reggie and Cheryl would play fierce one-on-one games in the driveway. And more often than not, Cheryl won.

“I was the better player back then,” Cheryl once said. “I let him know it, too.”

Those battles forged something in young Reggie. He learned to deal with trash talk, physical play, and the humiliation of losing to his older sister — lessons that would serve him well in the NBA. The Miller siblings remain the greatest brother-sister duo in basketball history, with two Hall of Fame inductions under one roof.

Born with a congenital hip condition that required him to wear braces on his legs as a toddler, Miller was told he might never walk properly, let alone play professional sports. He defied every doctor’s prognosis.

Reggie Miller and his sister Cheryl Miller, both Hall of Famers — the greatest brother-sister duo in basketball history

UCLA: The Underrated College Star

Miller played college basketball at UCLA, the most storied program in NCAA history. But his path was not a straight line. In high school, he was lightly recruited — too skinny, too unimpressive physically. UCLA offered a scholarship only after their first choices fell through.

At UCLA, Miller steadily blossomed. He averaged 17.2 points per game over his junior season and led the Bruins to the NIT championship in 1985. By his senior year (1986-87), he was averaging 25.9 points per game, shooting 50.2% from the field and 46.5% from three-point range — numbers that turned heads.

Still, the scouts were unsure. At 6’7″ and barely 185 pounds, he looked like he might get broken in half by NBA defenses. The doubters had no idea what was coming.

Drafted 11th: “Too Skinny” for the NBA

The Indiana Pacers selected Miller with the 11th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. The reaction was lukewarm. Analysts questioned his frame. Critics called him a project. One scout famously said: “He won’t last three years.”

Miller took all of it personally. “I kept a list of everyone who said I couldn’t do it,” he later admitted.

His rookie season was unremarkable — 10.0 points per game, flashes of shooting promise but plenty of struggles. But behind the scenes, Miller was obsessive. He ran stairs until his legs gave out. He shot hundreds of three-pointers daily, refining a lightning-quick release that was nearly impossible to block. He studied film obsessively, learning how to use screens and read defenses.

By his third season, the scoring jumped to 24.6 points per game. The league was starting to take notice. And in Indiana, a small-market team had found its cornerstone.

The Rise of a Shooter and the Knicks Rivalry

The 1990s NBA was defined by Michael Jordan’s Bulls, but the Eastern Conference had another blood feud brewing: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks. And at its center was Reggie Miller versus Spike Lee.

The Knicks were the league’s villains — physical, defensive, and loud. Madison Square Garden was a fortress. And Spike Lee, the legendary filmmaker, sat courtside in Knicks gear, taunting opponents. Miller became his favorite target.

But Miller, a master of psychological warfare, weaponized Lee’s trash talk. “Spike thought he was getting under my skin,” Miller said. “He didn’t realize he was fueling me.”

In the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers and Knicks went to seven games. Miller averaged 24.7 points and pushed the Knicks to the brink, though New York ultimately prevailed. The rivalry had officially reached legendary status.

Then came 1995.

8.9 Seconds, 8 Points: The Moment That Never Dies

May 7, 1995. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Madison Square Garden. The Knicks led 105-99 with 18.7 seconds remaining. The game was over. The arena was already celebrating.

It took Miller exactly 8.9 seconds to rewrite history.

• 18.7 seconds left: Miller catches the ball, pump-fakes, and drains a three-pointer over John Starks. 105-102.
• 13.2 seconds left: The Knicks inbound to Greg Anthony, who slips on the Garden floor. Miller pounces on the loose ball, steps behind the arc, and drills another three. 105-105.
• 8.9 seconds left: John Starks misses two free throws. Patrick Ewing’s tip attempt also misses. Miller grabs the rebound, is fouled by Anthony Mason, and calmly sinks two free throws. 107-105, Pacers win.

The Garden fell silent. But Miller wasn’t done. He turned to courtside, locked eyes with Spike Lee — who had been yelling at him all game — and made a choke sign, grabbing his own throat.

“I told him, ‘This one’s for you, Spike,’” Miller said afterward.

The image of Miller making the choke gesture at Lee is one of the most iconic moments in NBA playoff history. It was cold. It was theatrical. It was pure Reggie Miller.

The Pacers won the series in seven games before falling to the Orlando Magic in the Conference Finals. But the legend of Miller as the “Knick Killer” was permanently etched into stone.

Reggie Miller making the choke gesture at Spike Lee — one of the most iconic moments in NBA history

Olympic Gold and the 2000 Finals

Miller was selected for Dream Team III at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and John Stockton. The team won gold with a perfect 8-0 record, dominating every opponent by an average of 32.3 points. For Miller, it was validation — he belonged on the biggest stage.

In 2000, Miller led the Pacers to their first and only NBA Finals appearance. They faced the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant Lakers. The Pacers pushed the series to six games, with Miller averaging 24.3 points per game in the Finals. But the Lakers’ star power was too much. Indiana lost 4-2.

It was the closest Miller would ever come to an NBA championship. And while some define greatness by rings, Miller’s legacy was never about a single trophy.

“There’s no one I’d rather have taking the last shot,” Larry Bird once said.

Retirement and Legacy

Miller retired in 2005 after 18 seasons, all with the Pacers. He left as the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (2,560), a record that would later fall to Ray Allen and Stephen Curry. He finished with 25,279 career points (18th all-time at retirement), a 39.5% three-point percentage, and five All-Star selections.

The Indiana Pacers retired his No. 31 jersey in 2006. In 2012, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, joined by his sister Cheryl — the first brother-sister duo in Hall history.

His influence on the modern game is undeniable. Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter in NBA history, has cited Miller as a primary inspiration. The way teams use off-ball screens, the way shooters run through pin-downs and handoffs — Miller pioneered it all before the analytics era made three-point shooting fashionable.

“Reggie was doing what I do now, 20 years before anyone appreciated it,” Curry said.

Reggie Miller’s No. 31 jersey retired by the Indiana Pacers — a franchise legend forever

The Knick Killer’s Final Word

Reggie Miller never won a championship. But he didn’t need one. On the nights when the lights were brightest and the pressure was highest — in the Garden, against the Knicks, with 8.9 seconds on the clock — he was unstoppable.

That’s not just a legacy. That’s legend.

References

1. NBA.com — Reggie Miller Career Profile
2. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — Reggie Miller
3. MacMullan, Jackie. “The Truth About Reggie Miller.” Sports Illustrated, 1995.
4. Miller, Reggie. I Love Being the Enemy: A Season on the Court with the NBA’s Best Shooter and Sharpest Tongue. Simon & Schuster, 1995.
5. ESPN — Reggie Miller’s 8 Points in 8.9 Seconds