Oliver Miller, the big man who helped Arkansas reach the Final Four before becoming the No. 22 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, died Wednesday at 54. Miller, a talented all-around center, spent nine seasons in the NBA, bouncing between five teams.
His death was announced by both the NBA Players Association and the Arkansas basketball program. No cause of death was disclosed, but Arkansas announced that he had cancer during an event honoring its 1990 Final Four team last month.
Known as “The Big O,” the 6-foot-9 Miller reportedly weighed around 380 pounds at his heaviest during his career and is believed to have been one of the heaviest players in NBA history.
Miller grew up in Texas and was recruited to play for Nolan Richardson during his legendary stint at Arkansas. The Razorbacks reached the Final Four in 1990 with Miller as a key piece of their front court, but ultimately lost the national semifinal to Duke. A year later, he won Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors by averaging 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.7 assists per contest. Miller averaged 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds across his four seasons with the Razorbacks.
Miller was drafted by the Suns and began his career as a backup in a Phoenix front court rotation that included Charles Barkley and A.C. Green and was a member of the 1993 team that reached the NBA Finals. He was traded to the Pistons after his second season, and later had his most successful year in during the 1995-96 campaign as a starter for the inaugural season of Toronto Raptors history. Starting 72 games, Miller averaged 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest.
That proved to be the peak for Miller, who signed with the Mavericks in the following offseason only to eventually make it back to Toronto. The Raptors held a moment of silence for Miller before their game against Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
“The Toronto Raptors are saddened to learn of the passing of Oliver Miller, who spent three seasons with our organization,” the team said in a statement. “He holds a special place in our history as a member of our inaugural team in 1995, and we are so grateful for all his contributions. We send our deepest condolences to the Miller family.”
Miller would also go on to play for the Kings and Timberwolves along with a number of foreign and minor league teams. He even suited up for the Harlem Globetrotters for two short stints.
For his NBA career, Miller had averages of 7.4 points and 5.9 rebounds.
