Photo: USA TODAY Sports

Reggie Miller Reveals Why He Turned Down Joining The Boston Celtics In 2007 Offseason

In the summer of 2007, reports surfaced that former Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and former head coach Doc Rivers had several conversations with Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller about joining the team. The prominent sharpshooter reportedly pondered the offer before turning it down.

Miller, who was turning 42 that year, retired in 2005 as a five-time NBA All-Star, three-time All-NBA member with records of 2,560 three-pointers and 25,279 points in 18 seasons with the Indiana Pacers. At the time of the offer, the former Pacers superstar was already working as a TNT analyst.

In an interview with Bob Kravitz of The Athletic, Miller now revealed why he turned down playing for the Celtics despite knowing that they were a stacked team to win a championship all along.

Q: I remember in 2007, I reached out to you about the rumors of you joining the Celtics, and you called me back and gave me the scoop, which I appreciated. Why didn’t you chase the ring, especially with a team that would go on to win the title?

Miller: Look I knew they were stacked to win a championship, and they did, but it just wouldn’t have seemed right to be popping champagne in Boston when we (Indiana) grew up together, we laughed together, we cried so many tears together because we were so close for so many years. How could I be sitting and cheering and laughing because I won my championship and all I ever wanted to do was win in Indiana?

People don’t understand — and we’ve seen this when LeBron came back to Cleveland, and now Milwaukee — when small markets win like that, and Indiana is in that category, it’s like winning three or four, it is. We’re not the Lakers, Boston, Chicago. When you win in a small market, those fans live and die with you.

And Indiana is such a basketball state, winning there was all I wanted to do. I just knew how special it could be, so I could not in good faith put on another jersey when all my joy and sadness came in one jersey, with one franchise.

I think it’s the military upbringing in me, being loyal, my dad in the Air Force and being a government worker. They (the Pacers) took a chance on me.