INDIANAPOLIS -- Reggie Miller, the face of the Indiana Pacers during his 18 years with the team, will have his No. 31
jersey retired Thursday night.
"When I came to Indiana, nobody knew what the Pacers were
about," Miller said. "We were cellar dwellers for so long. I
wanted people to think of us the way they thought about Chicago,
Detroit, L.A."
Miller will be honored at halftime of the game against the
Phoenix Suns.
"To know that No. 31 will be hanging from the rafters ... it'll
be a special night," said Miller, now a TNT basketball analyst.
His jersey will join those of Roger Brown, Mel Daniels, George
McGinnis and former coach and current radio analyst Bobby "Slick"
Leonard. All were with the Pacers during the late-1960s to
mid-1970s, when the team won three ABA championships.
Miller retired last season as the NBA's career leader in 3-point
goals. He was a five-time All-Star, led the NBA in free-throw
percentage five times and is No. 12 on the league's scoring list.
The Pacers never won a championship while he was with them.
"Reggie is the one who made our transformation to the NBA
real," Pacers chief executive Donnie Walsh said.